Aftermath of Jubilation
by Aurora Magician
Summary: CHAPTER 8 UP,PPL! Sequal to THE HUNGER, by Parodys. Jubilee returns to Gatewood House, and her life moves on w/o Wolvie. Or does it? CH8 warning: Death and Sorrow... further lessons in love and loss.
1. Default Chapter

DISCLAIMER: Nope, not mine. Never were, never will be. One word for this: damn.  
  
SUMMARY: This is a sequel to "THE HUNGER" by Parodys.... Jubes is still in love w/ Wolvie, and finds herself saddled with another prob that involves morning sickness. (You'd think I had better things to do with my time at four ack emma. I hate insomnia!)  
  
*I step into the Rec Room, not really caring anymore if he's there or not. That's a lie, of course, but I'd never admit to that. By the way, Jubes, in case you haven't noticed, he's got his back to you, playing pool. But he still knows you're here—he probably smelled your perfume about ten feet away. It's that animal sensory sensitivity in him. Damn, but he looks good in those jeans. And what a fine butt...  
  
Whoa, girl, back to reality here. He hates your guts, remember? Just find the Professor, tell him the low-down, and get the hell outta here. Now, where IS he? Ah, there he is, by the TV. The news is on... hmmmm, gotta feel sorry for any poor guy who gets stuck with their face beaming into the homes of billions of people that way. It's really gotta suck for your social life. Ha! As if I would know... what kind of social life have I bothered with for a very, VERY long time? Huh, not long—just enough to find the kind of help I need. One more hour, and this'll all be in the past. Damn, that hurts.*  
  
"Professor?"  
  
"Yes, Jubilee?"  
  
"I've just got a call from a very good friend of mine. She's really sick and needs my help. She's, well... it doesn't look good. I'm leaving for the airport in just a few minutes. I just wanted to come down and explain to you, so you wouldn't worry, and to say goodbye." *He understands... gods, what a great man. Too bad he and Moira couldn't work things out... I'm gonna miss this place, and it's people.*  
  
"I understand, Jubilee. Just be sure to keep in touch, and take your com badge with you at all times." *I have to smile sheepishly at that one. A wave of dizziness hits me, and it's all I can do to act normally. Thank God he thinks that my distress is just from a good friend that's sick... which really isn't ALL that far from the truth.*  
  
"Thanks, Professor. Tell everyone I said goodbye, and that I love them." *Nothing out of place there, eh Professor X? I always say that when I go on trips. I give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Logan still has his back to me, but its ram-rod straight. I can tell that just me being there is killing him. It's killing me, too. Then I have to leave, because I'm afraid I'm gonna cry. And right now, tears are a luxury I can't afford. They won't be for a very, very long time.*  
  
Jubilee threw her last duffel bag into the backseat of her convertible. She'd saved and saved for the car, and celebrated buying it by going clubbing with Sarah. By then she'd been old enough to drink, so there were no awkward moments, just a rush of pure I-did-it joy. Now, it stood silent and waiting. It was the final piece of the old her that she could take with her on this journey; a journey into nowhere.  
  
She straightened and turned around; taking in the mansion she'd called home since she was thirteen. Gods, but that seemed like a long time ago. She'd just been a kid then, naïve and reckless; with a crush on everyone, it seemed, but the Professor. He'd been the father she'd been missing all of her life, and she clung to that relationship like lifeline. *The mansion is beautiful at night,* she thought with a sad calmness. She saw which windows had lights in them, which ones had them off. There was a flickering glow from Scott and Jean's room—probably candle light. Harsh beams streamed from Gambit's open window; the lights in both Rogue's and her rooms were off. A flickering blue haze told her that Hank had his aquarium lights on, and he was probably still in the laboratory. She could see them all in her mind's eye; what each and every one of them was doing at precisely this moment.  
  
A light came on in Wolverine's room. She tilted her head, staring at it. The shades were up and the curtains weren't drawn. She could just barely see the top of his head as he went first to his closet, then throwing himself on his bed. Her heart contracted with a sudden, excruciating force. The memories all came rushing back, unbidden—trying to force her into blackness: Logan's fingertips on her skin; Logan's hands on her breasts, his hands on her body; Logan's mouth on hers, then moving lower; Logan's hard, muscled body grinding against hers.... a fulfillment... a mistake... a whisper... a shout. A scream—her scream—and his voice raised in anguish... his fist raised in betrayal... a sharp, hideous pain in her head as it made contact with first his bedpost, then his wall. And tears—lots of tears.... tears that never truly went away; they just dried up... until all she could do was wail silently whenever she thought of him...  
  
Jubilee blinked, and spun quickly on her heel, reeling but determined. Swiftly, she pulled open the driver's side door and climbed inside her car before she could faint. Gunning the engine furiously, she sped with a squeal of tires down the driveway, Xavier's Institute a dwindling sight in the review mirrors. The night was silent as she streaked by, forcing time to wait until she could cry again; trying to outdistance the pain she felt permeating her entire being.  
  
She never saw Wolverine watching her from his window. His hand was pressed against the glass, fingers spread as in farewell. His face was tired, wondering, hurt.  
  
He was crying.  
  
Jubilee sped into the night. She turned up the music, turned it down, turned it off, then brought it back on again. The rest of the world was silent; the country roads she took invited solace and care at the same time. Silent, dark, and completely open; somewhat deserted, but that was to be expected—and wanted, in this case. They provided her with the opportunity to speed up a little more than she would dare on the highways and expressways. They would get her where she needed to go, getting her to the interstates and eventually to her best gal-pal Sarah. *Baby, I need you,* she thought quietly, *And I'm on my way back to help you out as well. What a pair we make! Hell, with me at your side and you at mine, ain't nothing gonna stop us—not even you're sickness. And Moira... we'll help Moira too. And it'll be good to see Tori again... all of the old gang. Man, what a get-together this is going to be.*  
  
She was trying to force her mind into a more positive attitude, and she knew it. She took a deep breath. Xavier's Institute was far behind her now—it was a part of her past she was going to have to hold onto at arm's length. What was important to her now could be used against her later, with very bad results. She would keep an eye on them; help them out when they seemed to need it... but...  
  
*I'm never going back there.*  
  
The confession knocked the wind out of her; the realization of it having been settled long ago, but the full impact was just hitting her now. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, her knuckles white and fingers cold bordering on numb. She stiffened, and took deep breaths, trying to calm her sickened stomach.  
  
She could always call, she knew. Tell them that her friend's illness had escalated far too much for her to come home. She knew she could do it. She had too... the signs were getting far too numerous and difficult to hide. When Rogue had finally caught her being sick in the morning two weeks ago, that had been the final straw. She knew then that she had to leave... and never look back.  
  
She and Sarah and the others had been talking for quite some time. They were her other family—her non-X-men family—and they had taken care of her at all times. They knew exactly when she needed them, and had supported her decision to leave the X-men. She did feel guilty about it—hell, they ALL did-- but Jubilee knew that they would go berserk if they found out...  
  
Oh, God, she really did need Sarah and the gang right now. She didn't know how she was going to make it without them.  
  
Jubilee turned the red convertible into her pals' driveway, sliding expertly between Sarah's Mustang and Tori's red Toyota truck. Sarah's motorcycle was parked alongside her Thunderbird, both of which were behind Jubilee's BMW. The whole, huge parking lot was almost full, allowing spaces for visitors and people who were at work. Jubilee stepped out of her car, her vinyl trench coat swaying in the wind. She was here at last. For the first time in six hours, she felt a stirring of hope in her heart.  
  
She retrieved a duffle bag and suitcase from the backseat, and stood facing the huge Victorian house in front of her. Gatewood House: it certainly wasn't as big as Xavier's mansion, but still—it was an enormous house, just not large enough to be a mansion. It still amazed her how many people it housed within its sturdy wooden walls. And despite its size, it still felt... like... like... *home.*  
  
The structure stood before her with cream siding, dusky purple-brown railings, taupe molding, and pinky-brown trim. The wrap-around porch stood solemnly with a pale blue ceiling, four rocking chairs of various materials and sizes, three coffee tables, hanging plants, pine-green window boxes, large bay windows with the blinds up and burgundy velvet curtains parted, and a colossal dark wood-and-leaded-glass door. Nondescript, gorgeous, inviting, and thoroughly, utterly, home.  
  
The impressive door was presently flung wide open in full force as Sarah streaked outside to greet Jubilee. Her brilliant red hair—what had escaped from her chigon—streamed out behind her like a banner, and she had a grin on her face wide enough to crack it. Jubilee smiled in return, and she was swept away by the comfort and reliability of her best friend. Sarah damn near knocked Jubilee off her feet when she hugged her, and the slamming door told them someone else was coming. A moment later, laughing and screaming "Ohmigod, she's here!" they were joined by Tori, who flung herself onto both of them. The three spun and laughed and rejoiced. Jubilee was finally home.  
  
Inside, Moira came waddling in from the kitchen with a spoon in her hand and more hugs and kisses for the girls. She brushed wisps of brown curly hair from her face, streaking it with batter. "Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" Jubilee screeched before flinging her arms around Moira's expanding body. Laughter and celebration reigned in the air, making it thick with homecoming. *Comfort,* thought Jubilee wonderingly,* is a very nice thing. It is given so freely here—how unlike Xavier's this is because of that. Yes, this is what I needed; this is what I came for. I made the right choice... I did the right thing. I'm home.* And she let all her worries go, making them come alive in her heart as what needed to be said and done. She felt alive again, for the first time in weeks, and could no longer hold on to her bitterness. Her situation was not that bad.  
  
"Hundreds—THOUSANDS—of women get pregnant every day, and wind up leaving the father," Sarah stated firmly when all three were talking in the solace of the bright kitchen. Moira mixed iced tea and lemonade, but coffee was also among the proffered drinks. Jubes sipped a dark tea, brewed to the point of blackness, while Sarah clinked ice in hers. She smiled at her over the rim of her glass.  
  
"You're not just another statistic, babe," Sarah said dryly, "So don't beat yourself up over it. You're both gonna be fine, babe, trust me. We're in this together," she said, gesturing widely to sweep the whole house and neighborhood into the plot.  
  
"And I don't think you made a mistake," Tori said half-defiantly, half-thoughtfully, "I think he did. In fact, I know he did. I just wish that you would consider calling him 'Charles' or 'Joshua' or something. Just not Logan... and Logan Junior at that!" She shook her auburn hair with resignation. Jubilee smiled and Sarah and Moira both laughed aloud.  
  
"Logan is a good name," Moira said thoughtfully, dropping spoonfuls of chocolate-oatmeal batter onto wax paper, "A strong name. I like it."  
  
"I like it too," said Jubilee softly, smiling down into her glass. Sarah smirked good-naturedly. "I'll BET you do!" she grinned.  
  
"Hey!" Jubilee happily defended herself, "It's a good name!"  
  
"And a good man," Moira put in insistently.  
  
"Or a good dog," said Tori dryly.  
  
"And some good sex!" Sarah stated emphatically and zealously. All three shrieked with laughter, trying not to spill their glasses and holding their sides with joy. Jubilee thought her sides would split if she laughed anymore. Tears came to her eyes.  
  
Sarah's laugh soon turned into a cough. It was a deep, hacking chest cough; she wheezed into a paper napkin she'd grabbed off the counter. She tried valiantly to get it under control. She smiled weakly when it subsided after a few moments, cautiously clearing her throat. "I'm fine," she said, sounding like her normal self, "Really," she reassured them. Moira continued to drop batter, "Alright, lass," she said resignedly. Tori shook her head, downed her glass, and set it on the counter.  
  
"Alright," she said forcefully, taking hold of Jubilee's hand, "Let's get you settled in." Jubilee set her glass down, still half-full, and grabbed some of her luggage. Tori managed to grab the heftier stuff, and the two maneuvered up the winding back staircase to the third floor. Tori lead her down the hallway, and stopped half-way through. She turned to her left, and dropped her load unceremoniously to the floor. She dug out a skeleton key from the back pocket of her skin-tight jeans, and unlocked a massive dark wood door with a big brass handle and door-knocker. She gave it a good shove, and it creaked open protestingly. She stepped aside so Jubilee could enter, saying the light switch was to her left. Jubes flipped it on as Tori lugged the rest of her junk in behind her, barring the doorway to even the most determined visitor. "So," Tori said gustily, "This is your room," and she swept an arm out wide.  
  
Jubilee raised her eyebrows, "Impressive," she stated. "Eyeah," Tori grunted, then heaved more luggage into the huge room, "There's plenty enough room in here for a nursery," she said warmly. Jubilee nodded, silent: she could just picture it too. "Well," Tori said with a sigh, "I guess I'll leave you to get unpacked. The boys'll be back in a half an hour, and so'll the rest of the gang. Ye'll be wanting to get freshened up, seein' as how unpacking won't take you too long." She grinned, "I'll be back up to check on you later." And she disappeared down around the doorframe, her footsteps sounding light and quick on the back spiral staircase.  
  
Jubilee surveyed her special part of Gatewood House. It was big—monstrously huge—and had been partitioned into separate nooks to allow for a TV area, one large bedroom with a queen-sized bed, a smaller empty area, a dressing area with three large full-length mirrors, and the "foyer" area she had walked into. There were two large walk-in closets in the foyer, three sizable bookcases in the living room, and a spacious vanity/dresser combination in the bedroom. A large bay window overlooked the dressing area, and several smaller ones lit the rest of the "rooms". A small, oval window shed some light on the queen-sized bed, set into the slope of the roof. *I must be right overtop of the side porch,* she thought dazedly.  
  
A rustling from the doorway alerted her that Sarah had come into the room that would now be hers. Jubilee brushed sudden tears from her face, unwilling to turn around. Sarah lay a tender, light hand on her shoulder, standing quietly and serenely beside her. A quick glance told her that Sarah had a mysterious, thoughtful smile playing on her full lips as she gazed at the room. "Thought you'd like it," she said softly, briefly hugging with one arm. 


	2. The Boys Start to Come Home

AN: OK... this is ch 2 and there will be more. Like I said, the rating has gone up. If I take this as far as I think I am, it will probably go up even more. R/R always appreciated. Sarah, Tori, Moira, and other residents of Gatewood House are mine, so please don't use them. Thanks to Parodys for her review in chapter one... hon, I hope that I'm doing you justice!  
  
DISCLAIMER: The X-Men are property of Marvel Comics... I never did nor will own them, goshdarnit.  
  
  
  
  
  
Sarah grinned at Jubilee from across the room. 'The Scorpion King' soundtrack blasted from Jubilee's stereo, which had been the first thing to go up. Jubilee smiled back: even _she_ knew that she looked a mess—her hair was wild, held up with a red bandana, dirt smudged her face, and there were more dust-bunnies clinging to her black T-shirt than had any right to be.  
  
The two women had been cleaning viciously since unpacking Jubilee's things was out of the question until SOMETHING was done about the room's general cleanliness. So they had gone at it like they always had: loud music, a whole case of Mountain Dew, and little-to-no conversation. It was a chore both of them hated with a passion, so they worked as fast as they could while still being thorough—a skill they had learned years ago since Gatewood House often entertained guests on short notice. They were already most of the way done, with only moving the heavy furniture left to do. Sarah stood up and stretched her back, pushing strands of red hair away from her face and tucking them back under her blue kerchief. Jubilee nodded and turned the sound down before turning the stereo off completely.  
  
"That should do it for now," she said with a sigh, surveying the room with her hands on her hips. Sarah joined her.  
  
"Ehyeah," Sarah commented, slinging her arm through Jubilee's, "Let's get cleaned up for the boys—they'll be home any minute. We'll get them to help with the rest later."  
  
"_That_ sounds like a capital idea," Jubilee said, and they laughed breathily.  
  
"Just grab something from your bags and use my shower," said Sarah, "There's too many fumes in here right now. And besides, the hamper is nearest to my bedroom; you have to stuff your nasty cloths in there anyhow, so you might as well use mine."  
  
"Sure," Jubilee picked up a small duffel bag, "I'll only take a minute."  
  
"Okay," Sarah nodded, "I'll just finish scrubbing out your shower while you clean up, and I'll jump in right as soon as you're done."  
  
*The warm water feels so good on my skin—I'm always surprised by how regenerative and restorative water is. I just love the way it makes me feel refreshed and reborn. I can handle anything—just let me take a shower or a bath first... or after.  
  
The first thing I did when I left Logan that night was take a shower. I scrubbed myself so hard that my skin was red the next couple of days. I couldn't get clean enough... I couldn't... FEEL clean enough. All I wanted was to wash myself away; let myself go down the drain and out of the lives of the people I'd hurt so much. The look on Scott's face when he ran into the room... oh God, it was the worst I'd ever seen him look. It was like he couldn't decide whether to be mad or to get sick right there in the doorway. Not that I blame him... shit, not only did I give Scott a reason to avoid and pity me, I also gave him another reason to hate Wolverine. Oh, DAMNIT what the HELL have I done? Shit, girl, you've just gone and fucked up your whole damn life, that's what!  
  
Swell, Jubilee, real swell. Wonderful job. Really made an ass outta yourself this time. You REALLY fucked up this time.  
  
Alright ENOUGH; the past is in the past... let it stay there for a while. Don't be so damned angry at yourself. What's done is done, so get the hell on with your life. Pull yourself together... if only for the baby's sake.  
  
Right... the baby.*  
  
Jubilee stepped out of Sarah's shower and wrapped a towel around herself. In a second, she was out and Sarah was in, shutting the door with a "Thanks" thrown over her shoulder. Jubilee grinned... that was just Sarah: part tornado, part wildflower, part siren, part child, part devil, part shrink, and a whole lotta class. You never quite knew what to expect from her.  
  
She put a hand to her grumbling stomach. A small, sad, angelic smile graced her pixie features. She ran a hand through her short black hair. Catching herself in the mirror, she stared a moment at her reflection, not quite thinking anything—and yet thinking of everything at once. She turned away with the seed of an idea, not yet entirely sure of what that idea was.  
  
She pulled on black leggings and an oversized dark gray chenille sweater. Sarah entered from the bathroom, letting the door open to air out the room. Heat swelled into her bedroom, making Jubilee shiver as she realized the temperature difference. Sarah's gleaming red hair was wrapped in a towel, and she was completely naked. But that didn't phase either of them.  
  
"What do you think of the dark red sweater?" Sarah asked as she dug through drawers and flung out suggestions. The said item of clothing sailed through the air and landed on Jubilee's head.  
  
"That I can see through it."  
  
"What?" Sarah turned around in confusion, then laughed when she saw it hanging over her friend's head, "Oh! So sorry!"  
  
"That's okay... I like it. It's definitely a contender." Sarah sighed, placing her hands on her hips.  
  
"Ack, what the hell," she muttered, throwing the sweater over her head as she waltzed out the door. Her tight jeans showed off her butt and legs perfectly. "Coming?" she called over her shoulder. Jubilee scooted off the bed and followed Sarah, who closed the door and locked it. Shoving the skeleton key in her back pocket, the two women made for the front staircase.  
  
The front staircase lead right to the front foray. It was narrow on the third floor, but widened to allow up to three people pass after the second floor landing. It spread further then, ending in a grand ten feet in the foray. Oak stained a dark brown, it was carpeted in dark wine-red and the banisters were held up by great bronze statues of female heroines: Joan D'Arc and Athena on the top floor, Janet and Mother Theresa on the third, Princess Leia and She-Ra on the second, and finally Mary and Susan B. Anthony at the bottom. It all made for the strangest and most magnificent staircase Jubilee had ever seen.  
  
"It's changed since I was last here," she remarked on the last landing. She stared at the marbled foray floor. The front door stood in all her shining stained-glass glory fifteen feet from the bottom of the staircase.  
  
"Yeah; Tori and Moira got sick of always seeing naked men holding up the stairs, so when Moira got preggers, she nagged the guys into finally re- doing it. She claimed it was hormones!"  
  
"And I'll bet that all the men are afraid of her now because of that, too!" Jubilee exclaimed happily. They laughed. Sarah coughed a little bit, but waved Jubilee's concern off.  
  
"Leia was Tori's idea—you'd never guess that she was a Star Wars _fanatic_! She-Ra... well, she was my idea. I always kinda liked her, and we had to put a little of _you_ into it anyway." Sarah grinned, "Yeah, we all remembered that she was your favorite growing up!" Jubilee blushed slightly, "Thanks," she mumbled.  
  
The front door burst open. "Honey, we're home!" Two men in business suites walked into the foray, setting down briefcases and loosening ties.  
  
"JARED! MAXAMILLIAN!" Jubilee shrieked with glee. "GUYS!" Sarah let out a similar burst of happiness. The two raced down the stairs, Jubilee flinging herself first into Jared's arms while Sarah plowed Maxamillian over. The men shouted their own joy and the two switched partners. The commotion brought on Tori, who joined in the melee and Moira who watched with her hands on her hips, a spoon in her hand, and a smile on her face large enough to light the world up.  
  
Another man charged through the door as Jared disentangled himself to plant a firm kiss on his wife's mouth. "I'm home, wife," he said gruffly, grinning like an idiot. Moira smiled at him, "So you are," she said sweetly seductively.  
  
"JAXOM!" Jared winced, "You know," he said conversationally, rubbing his ears, "Tonight is going to be a real trial for my ears." Moira laughed as Brian made his entrance into the chaos, "And your sanity!" Moira added good- naturedly. Jared groaned and rolled his eyes. He kissed her soundly and smiled warmly at her.  
  
"What in the hell did WE miss?"  
  
"OH MY GOSH! JOHNATHAN, JOSHUA AND JASON!"  
  
"It's JUBILEE!"  
  
"Was there a fight and I missed it?"  
  
"Did we miss something?"  
  
"FRENCHMAN! C.J.!"  
  
"Hey, hey, hey: it's Jubilee!"  
  
"Okay, alright," said Moira, breaking up the noise. "Into the kitchen for some food!"  
  
"Dear God," She said joyously to her husband, "What's going to happen when the rest of the gang gets home?" Jared laughed. 


	3. The Extended Family & the End of the Day

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Moira that I have living at Gatewood House is NOT Moira McTaggert (sp?). Gatewood House is NOT in CA, but somewhere in the New England/ Northeastern states... not sure where, exactly, but I'm working on that. (Any suggestions? Email 'em to me, or post 'em in a review.) Everyone can thank nappydiva for asking me to clear that up... and hon, Jubes DROVE to where she is; if you had read more carefully you would have known that in Chapter One. *blah, blah, blah* still indicates thought, usually from Jubilee. Oh yeah—and I've changed the circumstances under which she met the X-Men just a little.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the X-Men or Jubilee. Basically anyone you don't know is mine, so please ask me if you want to use them. Special recognition and thanks to Parodys, who wrote the wonderful story this is inspired by (THE HUNGER)  
  
They found out soon enough. It wasn't long before Kaitlyn, Sherry, Vanessa, Jade, Adrienne, Abigail, Mara, Angela, Gwenevere, Lennier, Bambi, Finnigan, Rory, Janelle, J.C., and Rain came stumbling into the house causing raucous and merriment at sporadic intervals. The happiest chaos in years surrounded and permeated Gatewood House, and dinner was... significantly louder than usual. Wine and food were passed around, courtesy of Moira's, Tori's, Jared's and J.C.'s efforts. Jubilee regaled them with tales from Xavier's mansion, and had them all in stitches by the time the first bottle of wine had worn itself out.  
  
It wasn't easy to maneuver around the table if you need up for something, because although Gatewood was big, it wasn't a cathedral. Consequently, there was much elbow-jabbing, oh-excuse-me 's, and please-would-you-pass- this 's. It was all so familiar to Jubilee, even though she hadn't set foot in Gatewood's loving interior for almost five years. She'd come here when she was about six, after her parents had died and she'd ran away from home for fear of death herself. It had been a little different then—it was just Sarah and two of her six identical sisters (they were septuplets), Sarah's second husband Joe, and her three brothers (Mark, Methuselah, and Marick). They'd found her, taken her in, and quickly made her one of their ever-growing make-shift family. It was soon after Joe had been taken out by an assassin and Moira had moved into their lives that Jubilee had decided that she wanted to learn more about her powers. J.C. had come along earlier, and he told her about Xavier. Sarah had told her to wait...  
  
"Momma!" The voice of a young girl drifted through the dining room's side window. Not a second later, the voice's owner hopped into view from the side porch. Since it was dark out, Jubilee couldn't make out her face too clearly, but she appeared to be about thirteen...  
  
"Hey, hey, Liatt! C'mon in and bring what homework you need help with!" said Jared, rising (with some difficulty) from his place at Moira's side.  
  
"Liatt!?" Jubilee couldn't believe it was the same baby girl that she'd babysat for extra money almost... *Gosh, it's been about ten years!* Jared grinned at her as he slid around the table.  
  
"She's grown up quite a lot, Jubes... there's much you've missed out on," he said, interrupted in the middle of his sentence by Jaxom, who'd inadvertently jabbed him in the gut with his elbow when he tried to pass Sherry some salt. Jubilee distantly heard the apology as she set a keen watch on the east dining room doors. The heavy oak panels were hand- painted in Japanese characters; she remembered the day she had sat and watched Joe lovingly create the masterpiece as a birthday present for Sarah, Kaitlyn, Sherry, Adrienne, Gwenevere, Jade and Abigail. Jubilee privately prided herself on being one of the few people who could tell the septuplets apart no matter what happened. Even Mark, Marick and Methuselah had messed it up sometimes—but she never had...  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Liatt, who burst through the east double doors with her arms full of books, a container of cookies, papers, and lugging a hefty schoolbag in tow.  
  
"Yea Gods, toots... you look like an overburdened runaway! What'd you do—raid the classrooms?" Jared joked with the teenager. Liatt glared at him from behind a curtain of blond bangs and growled at him. The entire table erupted into laughter, another bottle of wine making its rounds now.  
  
"She sounds just like you, Sarah!" Jaxom teased, laughing. Sarah hissed at him in response and swatted at him with the potholder she'd been using, and he promptly avoided it. He leaned back against the wall in his chair—which wasn't far at all—and stuck his tongue out at her. She replied in kind, then plopped down in her chair across the table from him. Liatt snorted amused.  
  
"Looks like she one-upped you again, Jax," she said calmly, smiling through her eyes. She was tall for her age, Jubilee decided, feeling a tinge of maternal pride in that she'd predicted the girl would be tall when she'd taken her first steps. Her hand instinctively went to her stomach. *Will I be this happy when it's over? Will my baby bet this loved in return? Don't be _stupid_ Jubilee... of _course_ everything will be fine. You're _family_ here... you're LOVED here. This is NOT Xavier's mansion, bless his heart. Crap! I forgot to call him... not that it really matters all that much. And he can't call me, because I didn't give my phone number to him; and I didn't take my com badge with me. Sorry, guys, you're gonna have to get along without me now. Heh—I wonder how long it'll take them to figure out I'm not going to come back?*  
  
"I have homework in reading, which is okay; that's just simple stuff. I've also got Algebra, so I'll need your help there, Dad..."  
  
*I bet you Rogue will be the first one to figure it out. Gambit won't want to believe it; Beast just won't accept that. The Professor won't think about it, neither will Wolverine (if he's there at all), but they'll agree with her once they here it.*  
  
"Hey, maybe you could help me with spelling, Momma!" Liatt was going on about homework, oblivious that Jubilee was even there. But that was okay, Jubilee thought distractedly, because she was used to being treated like that.  
  
*I wonder how Cyke will react. Huh... he'll probably keep going on about how I'm a 'team player' and that I wouldn't desert them like that. Only I'm NOT deserting them... I'm protecting them... Oh, gods, I wish...*  
  
"HEY, JARED!" Sarah yelled suddenly, "YA FERGOT SOMONE!" She tossed the potholder at his head. He was too quick—or too practiced, Jubilee couldn't decide—and easily caught the offending mitt. Jubilee smiled, rubbing her stomach absently.  
  
"Hey, Liatt," she spoke up quietly and tenderly. The teen blonde whipped up her head, and her jaw dropped.  
  
"JUBILEEEEEEEEEEE!" she shrieked, and threw herself on Jubilee, who was rather luckily sitting on the east end of the dinner table. "I haven't seen you since I was out of _diapers_!" she exclaimed half-accusing, half- musing.  
  
"Hey, I've missed you too, kiddo!"  
  
The second bottle of wine disappeared much slower than its predecessor had. Liatt had completed all of her homework and had gone home long before it was finished. Goodnights were exchanged with much kissing, hugging, and I- love-you 's. Everyone saw Tori to the door as she left for her job as night security, sending her out the door with a mug of steaming coffee and a slice of C.J.'s brownies. Bambi and Lennier left amongst much affection to go clubbing, saying they would be back at dawn. Frenchman and Adrienne, getting cat-calls from all corners of the house as everyone departed for their respective bedrooms, opted to stay up and watch an old movie.  
  
"Aw, c'mon! Who'd want to miss 'The African Queen'!?" he'd yelled, serious and sarcastic all at the same time. Adrienne and Frenchman were a solid couple, but they had yet to actually get engaged much less set a date to be married. They talked all the time about marriage and family, but never seemed to get a move-on with it.  
  
Jade (one of Sarah's sisters) and her girlfriend Vanessa had retired earlier on, but they called out sleepy salutations as the rest padded softly to their respective rooms. Lying awake in Sarah's bed, Jubilee listened as everyone except the couple downstairs and Sarah got ready for sleep. From the rooms beside Sarah's she could here C.J. and J.C.'s pillow talk, and Jason and Abigail's nightly debate... tonight it was politics.  
  
Sarah sat at her desk by the darkened window, reading paperwork by lamplight. Her flame-red hair hung down her back in countless braids, and it shimmered with a life of its own under the dim yellow light. She was concentrating hard, a frown creasing her forehead. Her skin, though pale under the best circumstances, looked ashen and deathly in the sallow illumination. Jubilee squinted, trying to catch a glimpse of Sarah's eyes so she could tell what her sister-friend was feeling. But all she could manage was just that they were dark, and her vision was blurring with sleepiness. Sighing half in frustration, half in contentment, Jubilee fell asleep with her hand lying protectively over her abdomen.  
  
Sarah turned to her sister-friend lying in her bed. She smiled tenderly, and went back to the mountain of paperwork she had to go through in order to set things right.  
  
Intrigued? I hope so! Ok, I'll try to post something soon, as I've just gotten new inspiration courtesy of the HIGHLANDER: ENDGAME soundtrack; it's awesome guys, you have to check it out! NEway, more coming soon. Any suggestions on where I should be going with this/ ideas on what YOU want to see happen? R/R and let me know. Meantime, everyone take care and Many Happy Blessings! –Aurora Magician 


	4. The Next Day (I know... stimulating, isn...

Au Note: Sorry it's been so long! There haven't been many responses, so keep 'em coming if you want to read more! Oh, I wanted to clear something up: Liatt is NOT Jared and Moira's daughter; she is their next door neighbor, but she's so close to everyone that they are practically family. Sorry about that! Also, I want to thank Parodys again for that lovely fic that inspired all of this (THE HUNGER)!!! Thanks a million, hon!  
  
"First thing we gotta do today is get your car changed," C.J. greeted Jubilee the next morning, giving her a kiss and passing her to J.C. who agreed and kissed her also. Jubilee stared at the gay couple, perplexed.  
  
"Why?" she asked, screwing up her face in sleepy bewilderment. C.J. waved his hand in front of his face.  
  
"Ugh, morning breath... uh, well, we're making you disappear, so you need to change the car's look. We can't be broadcasting the fact that you're with us—this place is too much of a target." Jubes nodded, yawning hugely but trying to cover her mouth this time.  
  
"You're right," she sighed, getting kisses from Vanessa and Frenchman, "I'll get ready after breakfast and we'll go right away. Mmm... breakfast _first_, then bath, then we can go. Hi, Moira." The older woman greeted her with a kiss and handed her a plate of pancakes, bacon, toast with eggs and cheese, strawberries, and a glass of milk. Jubilee's eyes bugged as she inspected the food.  
  
"You know we always eat big around here!" Moira said chiding, "Keeps our energy up... and besides, you're eating for two now." She laughed, delighted to have someone else to cook for... and to have one-upped Jubilee for once. The front door was heard to be closed, and Tori appeared looking rumpled and groggy. She sported a bruised eye.  
  
"Hey you guys," Gwenevere called out, her mouth full, "Oh my gosh, Tori, what happened?"  
  
"I'd like to rip Mike's testicles off and shove them up his butt," she said, referring to her boss, "He opened up the car door right in my face while escorting a fugitive we caught." There were many loud protests, offers to help with the testicle removal, and several cheerful suggestions on what _else_ she could do. Tori allowed herself to be passed around for kisses, and Jubilee planted one on her cheek as Moira handed her a plate similar to her own.  
  
"Oh," Tori said pathetically, "I want that." She took the proffered meal, and a space was hurriedly made for her at the kitchen table, which was even smaller than the dining room's. Finnigan and Janelle trooped in then, and were promptly showered with more kisses. Janelle was Moira's cousin, and she had introduced her to Finnigan six years ago. Jubilee had been the first one to see the sparks between them, and had been the one to predict their marriage.  
  
Jaxom, Jonathan, Jared, Maxamillian, Joshua, and Abigail all left for work amongst the traditional sharing of affection. Lennier and Bambi walked in as they were walking out, holding hands and grinning like idiots.  
  
"It's a little past dawn," Moira remarked casually, her back to them and hands immersed in dishwater. Lennier shrugged, grinning.  
  
"The club closed at six. We went for a walk, until we smelled your glorious cooking calling us home," he said mischievously, winking at Jubilee. Moira turned and gave him "the look" over her shoulder, and Lennier ducked laughing behind Bambi to try and hide himself. The kitchen erupted into laughter.  
  
"Hey," said Jubilee, interrupting what could possibly become an all-day affair (it had before, it could again) and swallowing a large mouthful of pancake and strawberry, "Where are Rory and Rain?"  
  
"They're on a trip to Cazumal," Sarah answered her, walking in from the front foyer. She looked tired and pale, but beautiful as the sun shimmered in her hair, "They should be back any time today. And don't ask me what time I went to bed last night, Mara!"  
  
"Damn; you read my mind again! Alright then, where were you this morning?" Mara demanded with concern, kissing her mentally-gifted sister on the cheek. Sarah's sisters—also telepathic and/or telekinetic—Jade, Adrienne, and Sherry followed suit before she answered.  
  
"Never; you know I don't like using my talent that way—I merely _predicted_ your question. The answer is that I was out early walking, and then I had to drive to the pharmacy for Kaitlyn," Sarah said, kissing her said sister on the cheek, "And then to the grocery store when I realized that we'd be out of milk and tampons." She placed the bags on the kitchen counter, getting kissed by Gwenevere who was leaving and Moira as well. Moira offered a plate of food, her brown eyes pleading with her to eat it. Sarah tucked stray hair behind her ears.  
  
"Ah," she said, "Food. I want that... but I don't have time for it." She turned away from Moira with a quick peck on Jubilee's cheek, "I have too much work to do," she said over her shoulder as she picked up an enormous black tote bag and headed out the door. "See ya'll later!" she called out, bending her arm to wave at them without looking back. Sherry finished her coffee in a huge gulp, hurriedly rising from her chair and passing her dirty dishes to Moira.  
  
"Wait!" she called, "Take me with you and drop me off at work?"  
  
"If you can get to the car same time as I do."  
  
Sherry grabbed her briefcase, hopping along trying to get her shoes on at the same time. The front door banged shut, and Sarah's Thunderbird pealed out of the parking lot with both women in it, breaking many speed records in the process. Mara chuckled, rising lazily and placing her dirty dishes in the sink while Moira sat down with her own breakfast.  
  
"Jason will sleep for a couple more hours," Mara said looking out the window briefly, then turning to the rest of the kitchen's occupants, "And I'd better be on my way too. I'll be home around six," she said, kissing everyone goodbye. She walked out, and minutes later her Jeep started up and faded away as she left. Bambi sighed, brushing her waist-length black hair aside and leaning into Lennier.  
  
"Well, Lance," she said in her whiskey-and-cigarette voice, "I'm for bed right now. I got work tonight, and Mercy don't like it when I'm dead on my feet." She kissed him, and headed upstairs. Lennier grinned into this coffee cup before draining it in one gulp. He reached for the pot, filling his mug again.  
  
"Caffeine addict," Moira accused him. He grinned at her before draining his mug and refilling it yet again.  
  
"Look who's talking," he said in a chiding way, "How many cups have _you_ had?" Moira blushed and stared her own mug. Lance raised his eyebrows, "Fourth? Fifth?"  
  
"Sixth, actually; but who's really counting these days?" C.J. answered, popping vitamins in his mouth and ducking to avoid the fork Moira threw at him. "Temper, temper!" he scolded her playfully, "Well, Jubes; if we're gonna do the car thing today you better get a'eatin'."  
  
"Gmph... mmm," Jubilee swallowed quickly, "I am. But _Moira_ insists that I eat all this food, and I'm not even showing yet!" C.J., J.C., and Vanessa both burst into laughter. Only Frenchman managed to stay straight- faced long enough to answer her:  
  
"Well," he said, shoveling egg and cheese into his talented mouth (hence his nickname, "Frenchman"), "Moira's always like that. You should know that by now: Moira, the Mother Hen."  
  
"Well," she countered around a mouthful of bacon and eggs, "I hardly ever got a chance to visit once I joined the X-Men! I was too busy working my ass of to save the world every day! _You_ try getting vacation time in when super villains and crazy mutants keep trying to play God!" Frenchman just laughed, saluting her.  
  
"Okay, okay; you win, babes."  
  
"Good." He laughed harder, his whole face animated and glowing, his warm tenor filling the room with sunshine. Jade, Sarah's youngest sister by ten minutes, came stumbling in from the back staircase and cringed away from the noise and sunlight. She looked, for lack of better terms, like she'd gone through hell and a keyhole: she huge bags under her eyes, her eyes were bloodshot; there was a fine sheen of sweat across her brow. Her hands shook as she attempted to avoid running into walls and furniture by holding them out in front of her. Everyone jumped up at once: helping her to a chair, starting a pot of soup, holding a mug of Sarah's cure-all secret tea to her lips so she could drink. The room was quiet; not even the chair could be heard to scrape the floor.  
  
She nodded to C.J. when she'd drunk enough of the tea to manage a request:  
  
"Call me in sick from work, will ya?" she asked in a whisper. She looked at him blearily, her eyes swollen and droopy with sickness and sleep. C.J. nodded, and he and J.C. each took an arm and helped her to the couch in the main living room, which was adjacent to the kitchen. Jubilee had already gone and fetched clean sheets from the main hall's closet and draped them over the couch. She sprinted silently down the back spiral staircase with a comforter, quilt, and electric blanket.  
  
C.J. and J.C. helped her onto the couch while Jubilee covered her up. They could hear Lennier's truck pull swiftly out of the driveway, heading for the nearest pharmacy. Moira waddled in with another mug of Sarah's tea. Its fragrance was unique: it smelled like wood, berries, herbs, and honey. Nobody but Sarah and Jade knew its secret recipe, but it cured everything from headaches to nervous breakdowns to stomach infections. It even soothed Sarah's damaged lungs and Kaitlyn's nightmares. Jade, with the help of Vanessa, managed a few more sips of the dark wine-colored liquid before she drifted back to sleep. Vanessa shifted her head more comfortably on the big pillows, and brushed the hair away from her lover's face. She sighed.  
  
"Well," she said, "I'm not going into work today." Moira patted her shoulder, then went to brew more tea and finish making the soup. J.C. rubbed her shoulders while Jubilee and C.J. trudged upstairs to Jade and Vanessa's bedroom to strip the bed. They would soak the bedding overnight in bleach before washing it. Then they'd run it through an incinerator to make sure that nobody else would get sick from the contaminated sheets.  
  
Lennier returned with medicine, crackers, dried cranberries, bleach, rubbing alcohol, and Lysol. He had also grabbed hard candy. Jubilee looked at him curiously when he pulled that out of the bag.  
  
"In case she can't keep anything down, she can just suck on these and still get some sugar into her system and help prevent dehydration," he explained in a whisper. Jubilee's mouth formed a silent "O", and she tip-toed back to the kitchen to help Moira.  
  
Inside the kitchen, Moira was bustling about stirring various pots on the stove and mixing up stuff that would go in the oven. Jubilee grabbed the portable phone off the hook, and dialed Sarah's cell phone. She took over the stove for Moira while it rang.  
  
"What's wrong, babe?"  
  
"Hey, Sass; Jade's sick on the couch. She's spiking a fever at about one- oh-two or oh-three; sweating, bloodshot eyes, cold feet, shaking, and sleeping like the dead. Her lips aren't cracked yet, but I'm beginning to see them dry out."  
  
"Have you given her tea yet?"  
  
"Yup; she managed a mug and a half of your special stuff, and Moira's making her chicken soup and more tea. Lenny brought crackers, dried cranberries, and hard candy, but its too soon to see if the meds are gonna work."  
  
"Keep giving her tea, and when she wakes up next try to get her to eat something. Preferably the soup or cranberries, because the cranberries will help flush whatever it is that's making her sick out of her system. Use the crackers as a last resort: _only_ if she can't keep anything down."  
  
"Then give her the crackers?"  
  
"Yeah," Jubilee could hear the squeal of tires, "And more tea. Always the tea."  
  
"Got it."  
  
"Great; I'll be home before lunch, but I can only stay for a few minutes. Half hour at the most."  
  
"Got it, thanks, Sarah."  
  
"No sweat; see ya, Sweets." The connection died, and Jubilee dialed Jared's number.  
  
She eventually got through to everyone on the list except Rory and Rain. As promised, Sarah breezed through about lunchtime. She stopped long enough to shovel some sticky rice and peanut butter, take a quick shower, and talk with Vanessa. Jade's fever was down, and Sarah ran out the door about one-thirty with some additional instructions thrown over her shoulder. Nobody asked what Sarah had been up to; what she did for a living was HER business. She only involved them when there was absolutely no other way to avoid them getting hurt... or worse.  
  
At about five-thirty, the troops returned to the fort, with the exception of Sarah. Rain and Rory had yet to make their appearance, and Vanessa hadn't left Jade's side all day. Moira had intended her soup to be for Jade, but she hadn't awakened yet, so everyone had it for dinner. Liatt came to the window again, looking for help with homework. Jared sat outside with her, and Moira helped Vanessa make Jade drink another mug of Sarah's tea. It was an evening quietly spent; nobody wanted to disturb either Jade's rest nor the silence that had pervaded the gigantic Victorian painted lady since that morning. Liatt went home early, Tori left for work, and the rest of the household gathered in the secondary living room.  
  
The secondary living room was smaller than the main one. It was done up in warm apricots, golds, and soft browns. The walls were lined with paintings; the floor was carpeted in a thick cream-colored weave. The furniture was a big over-stuffed armchair in burgundy, a matching papasan, four-seater couch, and footrest; a long coffee table, entertainment center, and CD and video racks. There was a side door to the porch, and an enclosed walkway to the greenhouse and art studio.  
  
There wasn't enough furniture to seat everyone, so most wound up sitting on the floor. Jason, who had gotten up at noon, went to the closet and took out his acoustic guitar. He ran through a series of warm-ups, and then his fingers began to expertly caress the strings of his baby. Jubilee quickly recognized it as his band's newest, as-yet-unfinished song.  
  
There was something missing from it, though. *Now, I ain't no expert in music, but I _do_ sing passably well. And I _did_ take lessons for a few years,* she thought, *I learned a few things then.* She listened to Jason's strumming, and started to mentally hum along to it.  
  
Jason caught her concentrating on his music. He was frustrated—he knew there was something missing from his new piece, but he didn't know what. Well, he figured, maybe Jubes will figure it out. He knew that she had an amazing voice, and since Sarah wasn't around to bounce ideas off of, Jubes was the next best thing. Both Sarah and Jubilee had musical talent, he mused privately; in fact, Sarah made extra money moonlighting as a multi- talented entertainer when she didn't have a job.  
  
Fascinated, Jubilee began to hum along. Suddenly, it clicked. The two of them locked eyes: Jason stepped up the tempo an extra beat, and Jubilee improvised the harmonic string he'd been missing. It was so simple; how could he have missed it before?  
  
Before anyone knew what was happening, Jason slipped into his version of Roxette's "Before You Go To Sleep". Jubilee started to sing along. She faltered once—the song made her think of Logan—but Gwenevere and Moira backed her up with their incredibly clear and sweet voices, and she was able to continue. As Jason slid easily into a song that everyone had helped him with, they all started to sing.  
  
One song led into another, and they continued singing as Jason put his guitar away at midnight and they all headed up to bed. Voices dropped away as people entered into their own bedrooms, and soon Jubilee was the only one left.  
  
She continued singing softly to herself as she dressed for sleep, and fell into Sarah's big bed. She stopped then, thinking of how much she didn't get done that day: her own room, her car, research... She turned off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. She rubbed her stomach, thinking about Logan Jr. Her last conscious thoughts were that she missed Logan... and that Sarah hadn't come home yet.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry again for taking so long, but since nobody's been reviewing, I haven't been writing much. That's why it took me so long to get this new chapter up! So, if you want more, you have to tell me—you can review, or you can even email me!  
  
NEway, make sure that you check out Parodys's THE HUNGER if you haven't already. And guys... make sure that you _thank her_ as well? ThanX!!!!!!!!! See everybody soon... 


	5. Complications, Conversations, and Deep M...

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry that I've thrown in all these characters; I know that it confuses some people and I didn't intend to do that. What I wanted to do was show what a large "population" Gatewood House had, and how tightly knit everyone was. I always got the impression that Xavier's place was together, but that everyone was still on their own; the atmosphere didn't exactly scream "family" to me. So I wanted to create a counterpart to that; hence, Gatewood House and its LARGE extended "family". I hope I didn't lose anyone in Chapter Four; sorry. Also, in this chapter, I touch on the powers of the people of Gatewood House. Sorry I didn't do that before; it slipped my mind! I was so wound up in them as a family that I forgot they were mostly mutants!  
  
Thanks once again to Parodys for THE HUNGER... we owe her a huge round of applause, folks. clap, clap, clap *Flashes neon sign: applause* Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand now... on with the show!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Jubilee woke up in the middle of the night. She knew instinctively that something was wrong... She heard C.J., J.C., Jason, and Abigail wake up in the rooms down the hallway. She registered the fact that Sarah hadn't come home yet. She lay awake for a moment, trying to discern what was wrong...  
  
Jade. Jade was sicker.  
  
Jubilee pushed the covers aside, getting glimpses of confusion and flashes of fever from Jade's sickness-induced delirium. She dressed hurriedly in her housecoat, distantly raging at her erratic telepathy.  
  
In the hallway, doors opened and she was joined by C.J., J.C., Jason, Abigail, Mara, and Gwenevere. No one bothered to talk; Jade had reached out to all of them. Quickly, they padded softly to the second floor, Jubilee leading the procession. The entire household was awake: only Tori, Sarah, Rory, and Rain were missing. Crowding around the door to Jade and Vanessa's bedroom, Jubilee knocked softly. *Please, God; let her be okay!*  
  
Vanessa answered the door immediately, disheveled and worried.  
  
"She's getting worse," she said, letting them enter. The room was stifling, even with the windows open and two fans blowing cool air inside. Jade lay on the bed, tossing and turning amongst sweat-soaked sheets. She muttered incomprehensibly, her hands fluttering listlessly at her sides.  
  
Everyone sprang into action. CJ and JC managed to hold Jade down while Jared and Maxamillian stripped the bed. Mara shooed the boys out of the room, guarding the door, and Vanessa rid Jade of her drenched bedclothes and changed her under-garments. Gwenevere grabbed Jubilee.  
  
"Let's see if we can find the old AC unit in the attic!" she whispered with sudden inspiration. Jubilee brightened considerably. *I never even thought...*  
  
"Great idea!" she whispered back, and they tip-toed out the door. Moira bustled after them, Adrienne in tow, and waddled downstairs to the kitchen. The men milled about in the hallway, making it hard to get through.  
  
"Oh, for Pete's sake," Gwen said in a stage whisper, "Can't you find anything better to do? Frenchman, CJ: go to the pharmacy and get more meds. JC and Max: go get extra bedding and take care of the old stuff," she ordered them, shoving the offensive laundry at them.  
  
"John, Jaxom, Jared: go to the health food store—the one on Church St. that's open all night—and get all the healing herbs you can find... especially green tea. Oh, and pick up bottled water while your at it. The rest of you," she said, turning to Finnigan, Jason, Joshua, Brian, and Lennier, "Help us up in the attic. We're looking for the old Air Conditioning unit that Mark and Marick used to use in their old room." They jumped to their respective commands; thudding softly down or up the stairs.  
  
Half an hour later, the AC unit was found and the rest of the boys returned from their errands. Sarah, Rory, and Rain had yet to appear and Tori's boss wouldn't let her come home.  
  
"I'm seriously considering that testicle removal," she muttered furiously into the phone. Adrienne had managed a weak laugh at that before hanging up.  
  
It was two in the morning when the front door was heard to close. Sarah entered the kitchen, heading straight for the cabinet where they kept the herbs.  
  
"My God," Moira muttered resignedly, "I take it you had some resistance?" She eyed Sarah's bruises, cuts, and obviously broken wrist. Sarah looked at her unreadably.  
  
"You could say that," she said passively.  
  
"Those cuts on your face will need stitches," Moira said, hands on her wide hips and brown curls escaping her hasty up-do. Sarah's mouth didn't even twitch. She met Moira's brown gaze with her own calm taupe one.  
  
"I know," she said simply. She looked down at her wrist, where she could see the bone had popped out and was pressing against the skin. She turned around, placing her injured hand carefully through a narrow slit of a chair. Bracing against a foot and her good arm, she yanked hard. There was an audible CRACK, and the bone popped back into place. Not even blinking, Sarah finished getting out the herbs she needed to make her tea. Adrienne, who had jumped when Sarah had set her wrist, sighed and went back to rifling through a medical text. Moira shook her head, and left with a tray of tea and honey.  
  
Jubilee trudged tiredly down the stairs towards the light in the kitchen, passing (it was more like squeezing) by Moira in the process. She sensed Sarah's cool and collected presence; heard her turn on the radio. Roxette's "Salvation" stole softly through the main floor of the house. *How appropriate* she thought *Describes my life perfectly.* Bitterness rose unexpected in her throat, and she swallowed acridly and hard. *If I wasn't pregnant, I'd get stone drunk!*  
  
"If you weren't pregnant," Sarah's rocking-chair voice floated in from the kitchen, "I'd get stone-drunk _with_ you!"  
  
Startled, Jubilee chuckled. Sarah appeared in the doorway, a sensuous silhouette against the harsh light of the kitchen. Standing as she was in the dark, Jubilee could make out the mug of her special tea in her left hand and the shot glass in her right. Sarah crossed to her, handing her the mug of tea. She accepted, inhaling its tangy scent. *I wonder why she's not drinking any herself.*  
  
"The answer to your question is that I don't care to right now."  
  
"You're reading my mind."  
  
"Eyeah."  
  
"You almost never do that."  
  
"Correction," said Sarah, lifting her glass and sitting down in an obliging armchair, "I almost never _reply_ to what I... receive, if you will. I like to wait and give people a chance to voice it on their own. You can tell a lot about a person just by seeing how much of their mind they decide to give voice to. Oh, shit; I forgot the bottle in the other room." She got up, and went to get the said bottle. Jubilee took the opportunity to claim her own seat, considering what Sarah had just said. Sarah returned with a bottle of very strong vodka, a pack of cigarettes, and a lighter.  
  
"Sarah..."  
  
"Eyeah?" Jubilee winced at the tone of her voice. She swallowed, and continued:  
  
"You don't smoke."  
  
"Really?" Her voice was hollow, rough, and sarcastic.  
  
"Unless you're in a rather... um... extreme mood."  
  
"Extreme, eh?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well," she said, lighting a cigarette. She leaned back and smoked it, regarding Jubilee in the dark of the living room. The radio in the kitchen switched to Foreigner's "I Wanna Know What Love Is". Jubilee sighed, studying her hands folded in her lap. *When they figure that one out, I want to be the first one they tell!*  
  
"Don't worry about me, Jubilee," Sarah said finally, her voice much softer than before, "I'll be fine. _You_ just worry about that baby!" The hand that held the cigarette jabbed itself in her direction.  
  
"I know," Jubilee replied, her voice even softer. Her hands seemed to rub her abdomen with a life of their own.  
  
"You can't stop thinking about him, can you?"  
  
"No." The reply was lighter than a whisper, but she knew that Sarah heard. *I have really nice hands.*  
  
"You need to move on with your life, girl," Sarah said, taking a drag from her cigarette, "He's all in the past right now. He won't be back for a very, very, _very_ long time." Jubilee picked her head up.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Eyeah," she took another drag, exhaling the offensive smoke in a white ring around her golden head. Light from the kitchen sparked off of her hair, creating a surreal halo around her head. Jubilee rather liked the effect; the smoke just made it hazy, strengthening it.  
  
"He's really beating himself up over you leaving."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"I just do."  
  
"Not good enough."  
  
"Well," Sarah said, taking a hefty swig from the bottle, "That's all yer gonna git, girl; so be happy with whatcha got before it's all gone!"  
  
Jubilee studied Sarah again, searching this time. *I wonder what she feels... how she deals with it all. Lord knows there's been such pain in her life... Why is she even alive right now? She's so strong...*  
  
"How do you do it all, Sarah?"  
  
"Eh?"  
  
"Life... keep living... going on and on the way you do. How do you stay alive? How do make life worth living again? How do you recover from it all?" Sarah stared at the coffee table between them, watching the light glancing off of its glass surface. Her eyes were haunted; swirling colors. She met Jubilee's black eyes, staring into them without seeing them. She blinked, and the moment was over.  
  
"Breathe, sigh, say 'this SUCKS', and get on with your life." She said, shrugging, "Simple; but it works. Trust me," she said, hauling herself up from the chair with another cigarette in her mouth and the bottle in her hand, "I've _learned_. That... or you could just never let anyone get close to you again." She stood at the window, barely distinguishable from the shadows but for the glinting of her hair and the bottle, "Although, I recommend the former rather than the latter. Never letting anyone in again..." she blew out her breath, the tip of the cig glowing brightly, "That hurts more than it heals." She took a swig from the bottle and a drag from the cig. The radio switched to Ace of Base and "It's a Beautiful Life". Jubilee bit her lip. *Okay, okay; I can take a hint!*  
  
Nobody bothered with even trying to sleep for the rest of the night. Jade's sheets were changed almost every hour, but Vanessa refused to let her be admitted to a hospital.  
  
"No, no, no and no," she said, vehemently shaking her head, "They'd just toss her out once they realized what she was! And who knows? In her fevered state, she might lash out a patient... or a doctor! No," she repeated firmly and desperately. Jubilee gave in then, heading back downstairs to the kitchen, passing by Brian. He gave her a jaded half- smile, carrying a tray of food up to Vanessa.  
  
Everyone in Gatewood House was in some state of fatigue; it seemed as if they had just chosen a spot and flopped themselves there. Every chair, nook and cranny had a person in it—most of them nursing a cup of coffee. Sarah was stirring vodka into hers, staring at the table top with an expressionless and bruised face. Some of her cuts had stitches now. Her eyes were a murky green-brown color.  
  
Moira handed Jubilee a cup of coffee wordlessly, lightly kissing her cheek. Jubilee hunkered down by Sarah, too tired to care if the floor was chilly or not. She looked at the faces of the people around her. *We're a family,* she thought, *whether we're here or not. The love here is almost a tangible thing. Everybody is so worried about Jade—we really made a team effort to help her out. Such extremes... such... _love_. I think that Xavier unintentionally let that slip as the X-Men got older. What a pity...* She sighed softly, and stared at her coffee for a moment before taking a swig. Decaffeinated coffee, of course; Moira wouldn't here of it any other way, not with "her" Jubilee being preggers.  
  
Jubilee smiled to herself. *Moira takes such good care of us,* she thought, *what would we do without her? We'd be lost... She's like the ultimate Jewish mother! A mother hen to all who enter her domain!* She took another swig of coffee, and rubbed her stomach. *Well,* she thought absently, *at least I haven't had morning sickness yet!*  
  
Nobody made the effort for breakfast until ten o'clock. Sarah sighed then, slapped her hands down on the table, and hauled herself out of her chair. Jubilee watched her stride purposefully to the refrigerator and take out various foods: grapefruit, kiwi, apples, butter, jam, cheese, eggs, and veggies.  
  
Working silently and alone, she made omelets, toast, mixed fruit, and baked apples. She handed everyone a plate, getting the ritual kisses on her abused cheeks. Then she took her own breakfast: one kiwi, a piece of toast, and another mug of coffee with yet another shot of vodka. CJ snorted, but didn't say anything when Sarah glanced up at him.  
  
Finished eating, Sarah stood up and dumped her dishes in the sink. She turned on her heal, and headed for the front door, grabbing her black leather coat along the way. Her coppery-red hair was twisted around and on top of her head haphazardly. She still wore the black leather jumpsuit she'd had on since two days ago. Jubilee raised an eyebrow, but decided it was better to stay silent: when Sarah got on a trail like this, it was _safer_ to stay out of her way as much as possible.  
  
Jubilee did the dishes; Moira went up to rest. Bambi followed her, but Adrienne was convinced she was okay. She finally "complied" when she fell asleep over her medical text. Brian carried her upstairs to her bedroom before heading to work.  
  
"Thank God it's Saturday," Jared said tiredly, but grinning wickedly. He headed up after his wife. Pretty soon, the only people left awake were Jubilee and Tori, who had come home at eight. Jubilee finished putting away the last mug, and sat down at the kitchen table with her. The radio was on, and "I'll do Anything for Love" by Meatloaf was playing softly. Tori was staring at it, drinking mechanically from her mug of cold coffee.  
  
"I hate it when one of us gets sick," she said to Jubilee suddenly. She sipped from her mug, still staring at the radio, "It just rips me apart that I can't come home when it happens."  
  
"I know what you mean," Jubilee said quietly, unintentionally getting flashes of Tori's past. She stared at the table top, finding the patterns in the wood she had memorized while doing homework so long ago.  
  
"I hate it," Tori said again, setting her coffee down gently.  
  
The house stirred itself to life again around five in the afternoon/evening. Up and about once again, the make-shift family made their rounds: Adrienne to her books, Frenchman and Bambi to the basement to work out... but everybody made a stop in Vanessa and Jade's room.  
  
Jubilee took some fresh water up to them. When she couldn't sleep, she'd changed into a long sweater-dress, leggings, and thick socks. The dress made soft rustles when she lifted her legs for each step. She held four new bottles of water. Rapping softly on their door, she tip-toed in past Vanessa, who had opened it for her.  
  
The sheets needed changed again. Jubilee braced herself against the torrent of leaking thoughts she was picking up on, and motioned for Vanessa to lift Jade. Jade was too worn out with sickness and dehydration that she couldn't even manage to toss and turn anymore. But she still sweat bullets, so at least she wasn't deathly dehydrated; they succeeded in getting water into her by pouring it in her mouth, then massaging her throat until she swallowed.  
  
*I'm surprised that I'm not more worried,* Jubilee thought, realizing it for the first time, *yeah, sure I'm a bit scared that she won't be the same when she gets better; but that's the thing. I'm so confident that she'll pull through that I haven't even considered IF she'll get well. I'm just so assured that Jade will.* She looked at Vanessa, who was bathing Jade's pale sweaty forehead with cold water. There was tenderness, such love, that Jubilee felt the tears that she had thought gone well up inside her once more. Swallowing hard, she moved away from the end of the bed and came up on the other side of Jade. She focused fiercely on assisting Vanessa in getting water down Jade's throat. She left the room, swiftly running upstairs to her own.  
  
It didn't matter to her that there was no mattress on the bed yet; or that Mark's old couch hadn't been brought out of storage for her; nor that Methuselah's armchair was covered in plastic. None of it even registered to Jubilee, who finally managed to lock the door after missing the keyhole several times. Shaking, feeling sick to her stomach, she dug frantically through her baggage for the cell phone Rogue had gotten her for her eighteenth birthday.  
  
But she couldn't bear to push the buttons. Every time her finger got near the first digit, it shook and refused to move except in retreat. Breathing hard, choking on sobs that wouldn't be realized, Jubilee knelt on the carpet. She dropped the phone; wrapped her arms tightly around herself, and lay on her stomach on the floor. She stared at the phone, trying to will herself to pick it up. Her arms refused to untangle themselves. Despairing, some of the tears she had thought dried and wasted sprang into her eyes and trickled down her face.  
  
*Dear God! I can't think, I can't breathe... hell; I can't even pick up the damn phone and call the Professor. He's probably worried about me; either that, or telling the others not to do the same.  
  
Not that many of them will care after a while. I've hurt everyone too badly. Fuck, I wish I could turn back time. I'd never take that walk down the hallway; never touch Logan; never have not taken that cold shower. Oh, hells, I would never have gone off the pill.  
  
I was so sure that I'd never have a reason to use it, that I foolishly went off it. What a damn, idiotic, moronic, imbecilic shit-head I was... am. I don't even have the strength to pick up the phone and leave a message. I don't even have the wits to tell them that I'm not coming back...  
  
I wonder if Logan's left yet. I wonder if he thinks of me... yeah, he sure as hell probably does: he probably thinks of how much he'd like to kill me. How he wishes he'd never met me. I bet Scott wishes he'd never have been out late with Jean that night.  
  
I wonder how long it will take them to realize that I'm not coming back. I wonder if any of them will try to imagine why; I wonder if any of them will even CARE why?  
  
I'm such a liar; a liar and a weakling. I'm lying to them; I'm lying to myself. I hate myself. I bet my kid will hate me, too.  
  
Oh, God, my kid. I'm being so SELFISH. Dammit, I can't afford to be like this! Jubes, get a hold of yourself! It happened, so deal with it! You've got a kid on the way: you're going to be a MOTHER, for God's sake! Pull yourself together!  
  
Call them.*  
  
Jubilee didn't know how long she lay there on her floor, staring at the cell phone. Finally, with so agonizing slowness, she reached out her hand. She picked it up. Slowly, sadly, breathing more deeply than she knew she could... she dialed the number to Rogue's cell phone.  
  
It rang twice before she answered:  
  
"Rogue here." Her comforting southern twang had a relaxing effect on Jubilee. Gathering the broken pieces of her heart for the first time, she sighed, and replied:  
  
"Hi, Rogue," she said, not quite softly. Her voice sounded strange to her; more mature, more confident, more... well, final.  
  
"Jubilee! Dear, Gawd! Where the hell have ya been?" she made 'hell' sound like 'hail'. It made Jubilee smile slightly.  
  
"On the road, for one thing; at a friend's house, for another. I'm alright; no accidents, muggings, insane mutants bent on world destruction, or any other such nuisances." Rogue laughed heartily, with her whole soul. Jubilee could see her in her mind's eye: eyes sparkling, hair tossing, mouth wide, shoulders shaking. Gambit would soon want to know who it was she was talking to...  
  
"Ah'm talkin' ta Jubilee!" she heard through Rogue's hand, and then Gambit's garbled reply. "Naow, ya can't..."  
  
"Petite! Where you been? You give Gambit one hell of a scare, goin' off like dat!" Jubilee smiled again, and felt like chuckling herself. *There's nothing like laughter through tears! And hot damn if at least Gambit cares a little bit about me.*  
  
"I'm alright, Gambit! I swear I'm fine! I'm staying at a friend's house—she's sick, and called me up to ask for some help. I'll be staying here for... well," she sighed, not sure how she felt that she was actually truthful about this part: "It'll probably be a long time. I'm not exactly sure when I'll be able to come home."  
  
"You need ol' Gambit out dere?"  
  
"No," Jubilee said, trying not to be hurried or frightened in her reply, "Thanks: I can take care of her myself. Actually, she's... well, it's really bad. I'm.... I'm... I'm not sure if she's gonna make it for much longer, anyway." She sighed, wondering if what she said was truth or not. Her heart refused to sink completely, though. It kept beating strongly. She sat up, and discovered that she was rubbing her stomach again. She heard someone turn on the music in the room below her: Jason, she thought, judging by the acoustic guitar—it was too real to be coming from a radio. She felt it grounding her; giving her strength.  
  
"Gambit sorry, cher," he said, genuinely feeling for her, "Gambit wish he could be dere for petite."  
  
"Don't worry about me, Gambit," she said, meaning every word of it, "Life goes on. Life... always does. And hey, you better give the phone back to Rogue before she decides to..."  
  
"A'fore Ah decide to what?"  
  
"Oh, I see you managed to wrestle the phone back from Gambit."  
  
"Yeah... Ol' swamp rat took _some_ convincin', awlrite!" Jubilee laughed, tilting her head back and letting the sound surprise her. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire from the tears.  
  
"Are you listenin' ta me?"  
  
"What? Sorry, Rogue; I got distracted for a moment."  
  
"I say-ed: Are ya'll still getting' sick in tha mornin'?" Jubilee winced before she remembered that Rogue was miles away in Winchester, and couldn't possibly know her predicament.  
  
"No, I'm fine now." *Liar, liar, pants on fire!*  
  
"We-al, Ah'll jes let ya'll talk ta Storm he-ar fo' a min-nut; the Professor el be a'wan'n ta speak ta ya hisself. He been worried _sick_ about ya'll, Shugah!"  
  
"Sorry. I just didn't have time to call! She's so sick..."  
  
"S awl rite, Shugah: Ah understand. Ya'll got a sick friend, ya'll gotta duty ta do."  
  
"Thanks, Rogue; you know, I think you're the only one who understands me back there sometimes."  
  
"Awe, shucks, gal! Here's Stormy!"  
  
"Hey, Storm." There was a momentary pause, then:  
  
"Hello, child! How is your sick friend?"  
  
"Sicker, I'm afraid; I... I... I don't know if she's gonna make it, Storm!" Jubilee decided she could let a small bit of her anguish out; she knew that Storm's wisdom would see her through the sicknesses plaguing her best friends. *No,* she corrected herself, *My FAMILY.*  
  
"I am sorry to hear that, child; is there anything we can do? Perhaps the Professor or Hank would be of some help..." Storm's warm, melted-chocolate voice faded away, but the last word was raised for a question. *No, you're no better either.* Jubilee answered, feeling guilty... but with a new sense of calmness and certainty that she hadn't had before:  
  
"No... No, thanks, Storm; but I don't think that it would work out that way. I think right now, it might be more of a problem than a way to a cure. I'll keep in touch, though; I promise you that!" Storm chuckled richly on the other end of the line.  
  
"Of course you will, child!" *Oh, Stormy—if only it were that simple!*  
  
"Oh, Professor Xavier wants to speak with you."  
  
"Okay... Storm: you know I love you, right?"  
  
"Of course you do, child; I love you, as well. Here is the Professor." *Deep breath, deep breath; you can do this! Just breathe.... What am I panicking for? I am doing the right thing. I am doing what I am meant to do. I am fine; I am all right.*  
  
"Jubilee?" *Oh, gods... maybe not.*  
  
"Hi, Professor." *I wish I could cry.*  
  
"How is your sick friend, Jubilee? I heard Storm talking about sending Hank or I out to see if we could help." *Nobody can help me now except myself. I have to do this on my own now.*  
  
"She's much worse than I thought, Professor," *and that IS the truth* "I don't know how much longer.... well, I don't know if she's gonna..."  
  
"I understand." *No, you don't. But that's okay, darling Professor Xavier; I have a _family_ that will take care of me now. They won't leave me out in the cold for ANY reason!*  
  
"How are you handling it, Jubilee?" *I wish I could stop crying.*  
  
"I'm fine, Professor. I... we knew this was coming for a long time. She's worked herself so hard that she's just done herself in, but Moira thinks we can save her. Tori and I aren't so sure."  
  
"Moira...?"  
  
"Andrews, Professor; her husband is Jared Andrews. He and Max—Maxamillian Donahue—are the founders of Jax Law firms. Tori is another friend of mine; she's a night security guard for Jax Law firms' HQ." *My face feels like it's on fire.*  
  
"I hope your friend gets well." *Which one: Jade, or Sarah? Huh—take your goddamn pick!*  
  
"Me, too, Professor."  
  
"Be careful, Jubilee." *I am DEFINITELY doing that. It's not like I have a choice!*  
  
"Of course, Professor! In fact, I'm doing better than I do back there—Moira actually got me to eat all of my veggies without _nagging_! They cook nothing... well, ahem, _almost_ nothing... but healthy food here. Moira's a real health-nut, and she's, like, the ultimate Jewish mother or something." *Hey, wow; I can laugh at that.*  
  
"That's wonderful, Jubilee." *Jeez; haven't you got anything else to say? Like: hey, dipshit, you forgot your combadge? Or: Hey, it took you long enough to call, are you _sure_ everything's all right? Jeepers, you guys really care, don't you? Hah.*  
  
"What was that, Professor?"  
  
"Oh, nothing; I was just telling Cyclops it was you. He says to take care of yourself." *Shit, none of you have even thought to ask me where the hell I am.*  
  
"I am... and I will. Don't worry about me." *As if you are right now.*  
  
"Oh... Rogue wants to talk to you again."  
  
"Good-bye, Prof—"  
  
"Heya, Shugah!" *Jeez, that was fast.*  
  
"Hey, Rogue."  
  
"Look-ee, here, girly: Ah gotta re-charge thes thang, so's Ah hates ta sayee thes, but Ah gotta hang up."  
  
"That's okay, Rogue."  
  
"Love you, shugah."  
  
"Love you, too, Rogue."  
  
"Oh—hey, where the hell ya'll at, anyways?" *Wow, somebody asked.*  
  
"I'm, uh, at Gatewood House. It's in Crystal, Pennsylvania; sort o' small town... kinda cozy and nice... growing really fast, though: All the niceties of a big city, with the benefits of rural living."  
  
"Ah hear ya! Gotta go, shugah, but ya'll be takin' good care o' yah-self."  
  
"Love you."  
  
"Love you too."  
  
Click... the phone went dead. Jubilee set it down slowly, relief and sadness and something else written across her face. She stared at the phone again, her knees drawn up against her chest, hands clasped over her belly. She stared down her stomach, trying to imagine herself big... like Moira. She wondered what her baby would look like. It would be a boy, she knew—for some odd reason, she just knew—would it look like her, or Logan? Probably Logan, she decided, not really thinking at all. A thought struck her:  
  
Will Logan, Jr. have any powers? *Oh, gods; I hadn't thought of that!*  
  
She didn't get a chance to either; somebody knocked on her door. Jubilee got up stiffly—*remind me that doing this sort of thing is NOT kind to the body* --and dug the key out of her pocket.  
  
Her hand didn't falter with the lock this time. Swift and sure, the key fit and she turned it. She stepped back to let her caller inside, wondering who it was and what time it happened to be. She made a mental note to set up her alarm clock.  
  
The door opened, and there was Tori, standing with a laundry basket balanced on her skinny hip. Jubilee smiled, and let her in. Tori dropped the basket as soon as she was in the room. It landed with a dull thud on the carpet of what would soon be the "living room". Hands on her hips, Tori assessed the room with apparent approval.  
  
"Needs furniture," she commented cryptically. Jubilee nodded her agreement.  
  
"Yep, I know. With all that's been happening, though; there just hasn't been time."  
  
"Or energy."  
  
"Yup." They stood in silence for a few heartbeats. There was quiet pride and confidence in Tori's stance; Jubilee felt herself grow taller in her presence. Tori may be no-nonsense and lusty with an attitude to set Mexico on fire, but she was one of the most tender-hearted and vulnerable people Jubilee knew. Of all the people in the house, she and Sarah were the two people Jubilee related to the most.  
  
"Well," Tori said with an edge of impatience, "Let's get to it, then." Jubilee looked at her with a bit of shock, but Tori just leaned out the hallway and raised her voice just a notch:  
  
"Yo! CJ, JC!" There answers were muffled by the walls.  
  
"Get over here; we're helping Jubes move in permanently!" A few moments later, the gay couple entered the room with confusion and delight written all over their handsome faces.  
  
"Of course she's moving in permanently!" CJ snorted, "Why else would she be here?"  
  
"Aren't you finished moving in yet?" JC asked Jubilee, his brow furrowed. Sheepishly, Jubilee shrugged. *Damn, they are a serious loss to the gene pool!*  
  
"There just wasn't the time or the energy to finish up. Sarah and I started—we got all the cleaning done—but all the furniture and stuff still has to be brought up." She shrugged again, but CJ smiled.  
  
"Well," he said, his blue eyes twinkling, "We'll just have to gather the troops and head on down. The basement should have everything we need!"  
  
"Either that," JC put in with a grin, "Or the attic will. We just need some help, that's all. I'm sure that the others will help." His clear green eyes sparkled with mischief of some kind. Tori groaned.  
  
"Oh, no," she said, slapping a hand over her face and tilting it back to the ceiling, "_What_ are you two planning _now_?" The gay couple looked innocently back at her, smiles wide and faces lit.  
  
"Us?" they chorused.  
  
"Never," JC said, flicking a hand for emphasis.  
  
"No way," CJ echoed, his hands clasped behind his back.  
  
"Yeah," Tori said dryly, "_right_!"  
  
  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry it took me soooooooo loooooong to get this up, but as you obviously already know, fanfiction.net was experiencing tech probs. Ack, well, we can't get everything was want. I am very pleased with what people are saying! If you want more, let me know. Feedback is always appreciated, even if it's negative! (Although flames will probably be spoon-fed back to the flamer.) NEway, thanks for all the support I've been getting! If you have any ideas on where you feel you want this story to go, email me or set it down in a review. If you email me, please put the AFTERMATH OF JUBILATION in the subject box... just so I don't panic and delete your message. Right now my Muse is on coffee break (Lord know she needs it after all those four and three ack emma episodes of frantic, inspired writing!) THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE! LOTS OF LOVE TO YOU ALL! SEE YOU SOON!!!!!!!! 


	6. Help, Hope, Love, Life, Rory and Rain......

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I want to thank Roque, Silverdream, and Daughter of the Damned for their wonderful reviews and suggestions. Keep 'em coming! I love to see them! I know that some people may be bored by now... but this isn't a happening story, it's an emotional journey of sorts. Does that make sense? I hope so. NEways... I hope that you enjoy this. I'm getting ready to leave for college next month, and things are starting to get hectic. So, this could be it for a little while. So if you have any suggestions or requests, please post them in a review to make it simpler for me. That's all I ask. Many thanks to Parodys once again for THE HUNGER, the wonderful fic that inspired all this..........  
  
What they'd had in mind was just short of full-out mayhem. No sooner had the gay men recruited anyone they could get their hands on (with the exception of Moira, Vanessa-who had finally fallen asleep-and Jade), than their mischief had begun! Among their "criminal" activities included two full-fledged pillow fights, six random tickle attacks, one well-placed whoopee cushion, a bucket of water that drenched Jared and Lennier when they opened the door, and turning off the power to Jubilee's new room using the fuse box in the cellar. They even threw a smoke bomb in the bathtub, and they were forced to flee the room for a while in the best interest of their lives. When they returned, Moira gave them hell and Tori smacked both of them up-side their heads. Jubilee had the time of her life, and had to duck into the sulfur-smelling bathroom for several minutes to cover up her laughter. _She_ didn't feel like incurring Moira's wrath any more than she had to... as it was, she received a lecture on smelling "all those harmful fumes. Really, Jubilation Lee, I expected you to use your head!" It was Jared's turn to duck into the bathroom then, and he didn't emerge until his wife had left, snickering and grinning rather broadly. Now that the furniture was all set up just the way Jubilee wanted it, people chose their favorite nook and flopped themselves down. It was a scene not unlike the past night in the secondary living room-except that this time it was tradition: every time somebody moved into Gatewood House, the whole family helped out, and then celebrated in the new family member's room. Two wine bottles were open on an antique coffee table, alongside crackers and cheese on a platter and pieces of fruit on another. Sarah, Rory, and Rain had not come home yet-Brian was out doing his weekly duty of bartending at a friend's local dance club. Tori, with a great sigh of contentment and relief, announced that she had the night off. She promptly disappeared from the room, and returned carrying a portrait of very old, very regal-looking women. There were seven all told: each very different from the other. There was an antique woman with Dutch-style blonde braids wearing a peasant dress. A tall brunette with streaks of gray stood in the back wearing a tightly-laced black widow's dress. There was even a gray-haired lady, wrinkles lacing her glowing face, who sat in the center. She wore a man's old dark gray suit and was holding a cigarette... an altogether risqué woman for the nineteenth century. With great display, Tori hung the group portrait over Jubilee's private fireplace. Everyone stood back, admiring and pondering it. Tori had her hands in fists on her narrow hips, her thin frame held ramrod straight. "The original owners of Gatewood House," she said solemnly, "May they look down upon us and say 'Damned fine job, gals!'" Jubilee stood beside her, and she felt two separate arms go around her waist: one was Tori, the other, Jared. Jason put his strong hand on her right shoulder; Maxamillian put his slender one on her left. She was wanted; she was held. She was loved. She was with family. She was where she belonged. She was home.  
  
*I can't believe how wonderful this feels! It's like... I've finally found where I've belonged the whole time. The love here is such a tangible thing; I never have to go far for a little affection or ask so many questions to get my answers. It's all right here. How could I have missed this? I've found the one place in the world where nothing matters except loving one another. Nobody leaves here unchanged: nobody here gets left the way they were found. Damn, but that's such a rare and precious thing. I know that I'm happy here, and I know that my baby will be happy and loved here as well. And he'll never lack for anything. The people here have so much to give. They've all had so much taken away, we all have our terrible secrets, personal tragedies, heartaches, mercenary instincts... we're all killers in a way. But you know what? None of that matters. Because here, it's all about love. It's kind of like this major Doctor Jeckle/ Mister Hyde thing going on inside Gatewood House: we kill on need and love on instinct. I know protection here like nothing I've ever felt before... a strange kind of peace has settled into my gut; into my very being. I'm not afraid of anything anymore. That's what this place does to you. We all have had so much taken from us, but we've got so much more left to give because of it. Strange and weird, I know. I can't explain it-there is so much here to be afraid of, more so than the emotional scarring of Xavier's, but there is so much to need here. There is so much to protect; to preserve. Everyone one of these people are to be feared and dreaded... but they all have to be needed and loved as well. Put the black against the white, and they are found to be both. And I swear to God, and anyone else listening too, that I will live with all my heart and soul... I will carry out this message, and I hope that someday... someday Logan and the others will find their way here as well. I hope that someday, the healing begun here will spread to the world. Oh, my baby; my darling, unborn child: don't ever let go of the precious sun to be found here. Never leave this place behind for long. It will always be sanctuary for you; it will always be home. Never wander far, my loving boy, for you will always be taken care of. Gatewood House is never too far to not be!* "Come on Jubilee, it's time for bed."  
  
Jubilee awoke the next day in her own part of Gatewood House, and smiled contentedly. A warm body next to her turned, and snuggled up to her. An arm was flung gently across her still-flat middle. She closed her eyes briefly, the smile still playing about her lips. "Morning," Tori breathed sleepily into her ear. "Morning," she replied with a chuckle, "Did you have any nightmares this time?" "Nope... you?" "None... thanks for spending the night with me. I always did sleep better if I had someone else nearby." "I understand." Neither of them moved for some time. The alarm clock on the dresser blinked eleven o'clock. Jubilee sighed heavily. "We should probably get up." "Moira will be serving breakfast soon. Either that... or brunch." "I would say brunch." "Me too," Tori sighed, echoing Jubilee, "I guess we _should_ get up after all." "Hmm." Tori laughed then, and got up with an exaggerated groan. Jubilee flung off the rest of the covers, and laughed at Tori, who was stretching with a dancer's grace and yawning wide enough to put a lion to shame. Her mane of pre-Raphaelite rust-brown curls cascaded down her back in a mass of tangles, and was frizzed out at odd angles. "What?" Tori grouched, one arm bent over her shoulder in a stretch. Jubilee laughed again, pointing to Tori's head. Tori frowned, and checked herself out in the mirror in the bathroom. "Oh, my God," she groaned, "It's gonna be a _nightmare_ trying to tame this down! Oh, ha, _God_!" "You look like Frankenstein's wife!" "Tell me about it!"  
  
Joshua knocked on the door a few minutes later. He entered upon their invitation, and called out from the "Living Room" section: "Hey-are you two ever gonna come down to eat? Moira's been throwing dark looks at the staircase for half an hour now!" "Coming, coming; keep your pants on!" Tori snapped, sauntering out of the "bedroom". Jubilee could here them bickering good-naturedly as they walked down the hall. "See you in a few minutes, babe!" Tori called over her shoulder before they left. Jubilee smiled, stepping into the shower. *I feel like a new woman today,* she thought happily, adjusting the temperature of the water, *I think I'll have CJ and JC take me shopping today. They're always fun to have around to celebrate. That is, _if_ Moira doesn't have them serving time for their pranks last night!* Jubilee laughed to herself, feeling lighter than she had in... *I guess years, really. Wow-damn, but that's a long time to not have anyone there to catch you when you fall. I never even realized... damn.* The cold water woke her up better than coffee could. She almost laughed as she used shampoo and body wash pilfered from Sarah's room. They smelled like lilies. She had never been one to pay attention to perfume or bath stuff, and the fact that suddenly found it fun filled her with a bubbly sense of joy.  
  
She entered the kitchen with her short black hair plastered to her head, wearing boxer shorts and an over-sized T-shirt. Moira gave her a plate of food and a kiss, then promptly launched into a lecture on how Jubilee should wear something warmer around the house when she was pregnant, and what the hell did she think she was doing parading around the house with wet hair when she needed to take better care of herself; she didn't sleep long enough, she didn't eat right... Moira managed to make the tirade last through the first half of Jubilee's late breakfast. By that time, Brian had come home and everyone save Jade was lounging around the kitchen in various stages of eating. She only stopped when the front door was heard to open and close; voices and the sounds of heavy items being plunked on the floor carried down the hallway. Wearing a confused look, Moira called out. "Hello?" "Hello!" Rory and Rain staggered happily into the kitchen with red and tired faces. The noise and welcoming chaos was sudden and loud as husband and wife received a week's worth of missed affections. Rory swept Jubilee up into a bear hug before Moira smacked him upside the head. "Put her _down_, you idiot! She's in no condition to be rough-housing!" Bewildered and amused by Moira's sudden attack, he sheepishly and immediately set her down. Rain threw an arm around her Irish husband, her bony shoulders shaking with the effort of trying not to laugh at their expressions. Her sun-bleached blonde hair instantly fell into her eyes. "Moira, honey," she said grinning and failing at not laughing, "I _know_ that you're overprotective... but the kid don't _look_ sick!" Moira snorted, and Jubilee smiled shyly. "That's because I'm pregnant," she said softly, returning Rain's brilliant smile with a grin of her own. It took a moment for it to settle in. Rory's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as his mouth dropped open. Rain unintentionally mimicked him perfectly. Husband and wife looked at each other, eyes wide. They turned back to Jubilee, drawing in breath. "WOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The table and glassware jumped and rattled with their fierce hugging and celebration. Brian tilted his chair back as he laughed at them, and CJ had to help a hysterical JC up when he fell out of his. Joshua and Tori managed not to spill their coffee, but only just. Moira watched the circus with her hands on her hips, not a trace of amusement on her angelic face. She tapped her foot expectantly, her enormous stomach thrust out in front of her. "This is NOT (she shouted the 'not') a circus," she said indignantly, still tapping her foot as she had everyone's attention again, "This is a household where..." But she was cut off as Jared crossed the room and put his arms around her, thoroughly stopping any further remarks with a kiss. Moira responded remarkably well for a woman almost at full term. "Wife," he said gruffly when he stopped, looking deep into her eyes, "You have never made me happier than when you married me. But I think you will out-do even that when you give me my baby." There was an instant chorus of long and drawn-out "Awe" as Moira couldn't take it anymore and broke down crying. Jared chuckled smugly, rubbing her back as she buried her face as best she could in his shoulder. Rory and Rain, with Jubilee between them, sat down at the table. Moira dried her eyes and brushed off Jared's shoulders with her hands, picking at imaginary lint. Smiling, she handed Vanessa a plate of food as she headed up to her and Jade's bedroom. Conversations picked up again, and Rory and Rain were filled in and caught up on recent events. Promising to relate their adventures later, they immediately jumped up again and headed up after Vanessa. Jubilee sighed. *Love,* she thought, *is a beautiful thing.* Looking down at her flat abdomen, she placed a hand absently over it. She smiled unconsciously, and sighed contentedly. She didn't notice the looks of happiness and knowing smiles that were exchanged by the other members of the household. *So is Life,* she thought. AUTHOR'S NOTE: More to come, but I'm thinking about making it a sequel to this story, instead of continuing it. How does that sound? R/R and let me know! 


	7. something short and sweet having to do w...

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the X-Men, Jubilee, or anything else you recognize from the movie and/or comics. They belong to Marvel. I do, however, own Gatewood House and it's occupants (minus Jubes). Please, do feel free to use them, but please ask me about it first. AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know that there hasn't been much action, but trust me folk... I am getting there. This is only the beginning of the story! This is heading up to the middle... and trust me: there will be an EXPLOSIVE ending later on. A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE to Parodys, who wrote "The Hunger", which inspired this tale.  
  
"You know I'm not going to ask any questions about the father, Jubilation Joanna Lee," Rory said to her, sitting across the table beside Rain, "whatever you deem to tell us is everything we need to know. At least, as far as I'm concerned it is." Rain nodded her agreement as she reached for the syrup. Rory had anticipated her move, though, and she had it in her hand before she could say anything. "Mph," Brian managed through his mouthful of pancakes, "I third that!" Jubilee smiled at them softly, if a little sadly. She sighed, breathing in the light scent of lilies that suffused the air around her. She looked up at Brian through half-lidded blue eyes and partially-dry black bangs. He smiled at her, still chewing, and ran a hand through his super-short yellow hair. His own baby-blue eyes sparkled, and he cleaned his plate. "Do you remember the email I sent you last week?" she asked the globe- trotters. Husband and wife looked at each other, chewing and trying to swallow fast. Rain's candlelight hair fell in her face, and Rory's rusty curls bobbed. The looked back at Jubilee, and nodded. Rain managed to swallow first, cringing as she did so. "Yeah... ugh-I swallowed too much," she said, and took a gulp of water with narrowed eyes. Rory kept eating, his eyes glued to Jubilee. He managed to dribble syrup on his shirt, and Brian absently wiped it off for him with a wet cloth. "Well... gosh, how do I say this?" Jubilee ran a hand through her semi- short black hair. She wasn't nervous-she knew that no matter what, there would be no fighting; only acceptance-but she just didn't know how to actually say it. Most of the people in the house knew, but Rain and Rory just couldn't be told everything wam-bam in an email. "Umm... is _he_ the father?" Rain said knowingly, sipping her water. Jubilee nodded, while Rory looked back and forth from Rain to Jubilee. "I thought so," she said, setting her glass down. She used her large napkin, and folded it haphazardly. "So, when do we get to go shopping for baby things?" she said smiling, rising from the table to bus her dishes. Rory nodded, gulping the last of his milk. Jubilee smiled back at her. *That's just the way it is at Gatewood House; all love, all acceptance.* "I was hoping, actually, that we could have an expedition this afternoon," she said gently, glancing fervently at Moira, "I thought that maybe CJ and JC could come along. I need a new car, too." Moira nodded airily, as though she was granting them a grand favor. A quick look at the gay couple caused her to smile broadly: they were acting out the international "YES" motion, while mouthing the word to themselves. Just then, the back door opened, and Sarah stumbled through. She... looked like _hell_. Immediately, she was settled into a chair and her wounds were being tended to by several different hands. The conversations didn't stop entirely-they were all used to her showing up like this-but there was a momentary lull when she actually accepted a full plate of food from Moira and a generous over-sized mug of her special tea. "So," she said in a normal voice, brushing some slightly-singed red hair out of her eyes and eating buttered toast, "What are we all planning today?" Her eyes were hazel, and starting to turn green, even if they weren't exactly sparkling. "Um," Jubilee started, "We were all going to go shopping later on, and CJ and JC promised to help me get a new car." Sarah nodded slowly, munching apple slices. She shrugged, and set the broken bone in her leg with a noise and speed that made Tori and Adrienne jump. "I'll go with you," she said firmly, going back to her breakfast. Moira rolled her eyes, and topped her mug of tea again, adding a dose of sugar and a shot of red wine.  
  
"Thanks, Moira," Sarah said, taking a gulp of the tangy-scented stuff, "This helps a LOT. I feel MUCH better now. Always did love your cooking-I just don't eat enough of it. Well," she said as though she'd just been asked a question, "I won't have anything to do for a while, so I'll go with to the mall and car mart. Just give me a bit to freshen up. Besides-I need to pick up some supplies. And there are some things that I want to get for Jubilee myself," she winked at Jubilee, grinning gingerly with a cracked lip, "And I need some new clothes." "But what about...?" Maxamillian gestured to her abused body. Even though the leather jumpsuit was mostly intact, everyone knew that there were bruises and scratches galore underneath. And scars... lots of scars. Sarah gave a cursory glance down, before finishing off her food and spiked drink. "That's why the gods invented make-up!" she said cheerily. Her breakfast done, she hauled herself out of her chair and bussed her dishes. She got kisses from everyone as she crossed the kitchen and went through the front hallway. They heard her thumping unevenly up the stairs. "I'm gonna check on Jade-I'll let you know if she needs anything!" she called out, her mellow singer's voice muffled by walls and distance.  
  
A few hours later, everyone was laden down with packages. Grinning, bantering, comparing finds and prices, the whole lot of them traversed the wonders of the mall. Jared and Gwenevere had volunteered to stay home to watch Jade, and in the back of their minds, everyone was thinking about her. Suddenly, Sarah stopped dead in her tracks, causing Rain, Bambi, and Jubilee to stumble into her. She slapped her forehead with her green eyes wide and full mouth open. "What an _idiot_ I am!" she exclaimed, "Why didn't I think of this _before_?!" "What?" they chorused, exchanging confused looks. She looked at them with wide eyes that were now teal, her arms open as though to hug them all. "BABY MONITERS!" she said excitedly, "We'll need to get them anyway for Moira and Jubes, PLUS we can use them to keep up with Jade!" With renewed vigor and shared exhilaration, they scattered over the mall once again. Store owners all over the shopping complex scratched their heads in wonder as they were almost cleaned out of baby monitors and walkie- talkies. But the hodge-podge family of Gatewood House never gave it a second thought as they waltzed in and out of stores, and then later out of the complex altogether. "You know, JJ," Sarah said neutrally as she checked some of her bags, referring to Jubilee by her first and middle name's initials, "You don't have to get a new car altogether just yet." "Really?" Jubes asked wonderingly. CJ and JC caught up to them to join in the conversation the two mutants were having. "Yeah," Sarah said distractedly, patting her leather jacket for her keys and finding them, "Ah! Yes-you can get your current one re-done, and then get another one if you want to. With some creative financing, of course; we can't just have you waltz in and pay for it. In fact, I think it's better that you do just that. Maybe a Jeep or a Viper... something with good speed that's mostly indistinguishable. We'll also have to do some-er- CREATIVE bodywork of our own..." That clinched it. CJ, JC, Sarah, and Jubilee criss-crossed the town's car marts for the next better part of the day. They settled on painting Jubes' car a gray-green at a local body-shop, and also wound up driving away with a beige Jeep. While they were at it, Sarah had been once again struck with inspiration, and had called Moira about trading in her old station wagon for a new Dodge Stratus and buying a used minivan. Moira and Jared had both approved, as well as everyone else in Gatewood, and they had an appointment in two days to finalize all the paperwork and pick up the new vehicles. Gatewood House went to sleep that night with peaceful, happy smiles and another impromptu sing-along courtesy of Jason and Joshua. Later, still humming 'Danny Boy' softly to herself, Sarah made her nightly rounds of the house before she went to bed. It was her tradition-whenever she was home, she checked all over the house, making sure all was safe... all was in it's place. Sighing and smiling gently through a cracked lip, she trudged with a slight limp up the back spiral staircase, lighting the candles in their sconces on the walls. She knew she wouldn't sleep. She almost never really did. But... just in case... she didn't want to sleep alone. She went to her quarters, and unpinned her hair in front of her vanity. Waves of brilliant red hair in tiny braids slowly cascaded down her back to their full length as she pulled each of the many hairpieces required out. When it was all down, she braided and twisted the firelight mass into one thick rope-braid. Slowly, she peeled away her black leather jumpsuit and boots, throwing them into the pile that would go to the dry-cleaner's. She undid the corset, the bra, and took off her panties and took a cold shower. She used her Green Tea soap because she Jubilee had her Aloe Vera and Water Lily body wash. She stepped out of the shower, ignoring the pains of her body with practiced ease. Looking at her pale face in the mirror, dull brown eyes staring back, she decided to actually get some sleep that night. Sighing, knowing she would have nightmares she would awake from until dawn, she downed several sleeping pills. *Moira would kill me if she knew what I was resorting to in order to get a LITTLE of the sleep I need!* she thought wryly. Now clad in clean underwear, socks, and an old lover's T-shirt, she made her way silently-for all she was _really_ limping now-down the hallway. She knocked softly three times on Jubilee's door, in a certain rhythm, to indicate it was indeed Sarah and that Sarah was having a need to sleep next to someone. ~Come in.~ came the mental reply. It sounded exhausted, and Sarah knew that CJ and JC were in there too. *So,* she thought *We all must sleep together.* She entered, closing the door softly. She padded softly into the bedroom area, the air cool from two fans blowing the night's essence into the quarters that now belonged to her Jubilee. CJ and JC had Jubilee asleep between them. Their eyes glinted softly in the moonlight as they met her calm and loving gaze. Sarah could feel their love and acceptance as she approached the bed. The pills took affect as they pulled her down onto the bed, and she knew that they would protect her and shield her nightmares from the rest of the house. That they would do that, and help her control them as well. She fell asleep listening to the fans' gentle whirring, Jubilee's even breathing, CJ's heartbeat, JC's humming, and the gentle thoughts and love and connections of her very own family. Gatewood House slumbered, at peace.  
  
Until dawn, all was quiet in Gatewood House. Brian was up first-he was the only one to witness the full scope of the drama that unfolded. Unable to sleep any longer than his required four hours (he wasn't much of a sleeper), he made his way yawning and bleary down the back stairs in the living room. Running his big hands through his buzz-cut blonde hair, he trudged into the kitchen to enjoy a solitary and sugar-filled breakfast. The peace and quiet was shattered by a scream.  
  
Jubilee awoke fuzzily to the three warm bodies of CJ, JC, and Sarah embracing her. It was such a sense of peace, contentment, and absolute, unconditional love that she felt tears momentarily prick her eyes. But it was only a moment; and all moments must end. Just as CJ and JC snuggled a little closer to them, Sarah had her worst nightmare yet. She started screaming: long and loud. CJ and JC immediately woke up-as did the rest of the house-and tried to wake her up. Brian crashed through the door then, and quickly reached out his arms for Jubilee as Sarah began to thrash, and JC instantly lifted Jubilee up and transferred her bodily to Brian's awaiting embrace. He then attempted to help his lover in restraining Sarah. They both failed miserably as they were thrown away by the force of Sarah fighting her dream- demons. Brian ducked out of the way, shielding Jubilee at the same time. He shifted her towards the bathroom, and flung himself onto Sarah, dragging her down to the floor. Tori managed to fight through Jason, Abigail, Lennier, Bambi, Jaxom, Sherry, and Jonathan, and be the first to scramble through the doorway into the bedroom. She managed to duck and avoid being hit with CJ... but the others caught him full-on and were sent tumbling back into the living room area. Tori jumped on top of Sarah, trying to help Brian, and receiving a good kick in the stomach before she managed to pin down her legs. Abigail disentangled herself from the melee and pounced, landing on Sassy's flailing arms. It took the combined physical efforts of Tori and every man in the house except CJ to subdue the wild mutant. They amassed themselves on top of Sarah, several bodies to each limb. Sometimes, it became too much to hold on to a single limb, and then they were forced to dog-pile her. CJ, Jubilee, and the other women tried their best to fight through her sleep- fog. They circled the heap of twitching and straining bodies on the floor, and regardless as to whether any of them were truly gifted or not, they focused their mental energies on Sarah's mind. Swift, calm, and firm, together they assisted their family member from her own mind. Sarah's eyes snapped open suddenly as she lay with several bodies piled on top of her. They were the forget-me-not blue. Breath labored and intense, everyone lay still, not bothering to move to more comfortable positions. The circle of family members fell wearily to their knees. They stayed that way for the better part of an hour.  
  
A/N: What do you think? I'm starting to get some action going here, FINALLY. Thanks to all who have reviewed so far... keep it coming, folks. I do answer my emails, too! So.... any ideas? Comments? Ect? LET ME KNOW !!!!!!! R/R, please!!!!!!!! 


	8. Death and Funerals and Frost?

DISCLAIMER: Nope; ain't mine, dammit.  Just Gatewood House and those chars ya don't recognize.

ARCHIVE: yeah, go right ahead!  Just lemme know and gimme credit, so I can check it out and give you praise!

A/N: REVIEW, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It's called FEEDBACK for a flippin' reason, folks.o

Gatewood House returned to her normal peace, and the day resumed her vigor.  After eating a full breakfast Moira-style and taking the longest bath of her life in scented oils, Sarah felt much better.  Dressed in jeans and oversized sweatshirts, she and Jubilee wandered into the secondary living room with a tray of goodies, the newspaper, and a baby monitor.  Together, they sat on the big burgundy couch, knees tucked under them in identical fashions.  Nursing mugs of black current tea, Sarah perused the newspaper and Jubilee rifled through some magazines.  For a while, they sat in companionable silence.  

"Hey, Jubes," said Sarah suddenly, folding the paper and leaning over, "Look at this."  She handed her the paper, pointing to a headline that read: X-MEN TO APPEAR AT HOSPITAL CHARITY PRESS CONFERENCE.  Jubilee scanned the small article, and then looked up at Sarah.

Sarah was wearing a positively evil grin, lighting up her eyes to a bright emerald green.  "Wanna go?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.  Slightly taken aback, Jubes considered her options.  Finally she nodded.  

"Yes," she sounded confident, despite her whispered tone.  And, not knowing what else to do, she went back to flipping through magazines.  She felt Sarah's gaze on her, calculating.  Risking a glance sideways at her, Jubes said in a slightly annoyed voice:

"Is there something wrong?"

"No," came the simple reply.  "We need to get you a job."

"What?  Where did THAT one come from?"

"I'm not the only one who thinks so, JJ," Sarah went back to the newspaper, "In fact; most of the clan has been bugging me to get you going somewhere.  Jason suggested the club that Brian works at... you know the one that I do some gigs at from time to time?"     

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah; really!  It would be good for you... you'd get out of the house sometimes, get to do something you like doing for a while, and it's something you can continue doing even if you're full term or bouncing a healthy baby boy on your hip."  Jubilee looked up sharply at Sarah, and saw that she wasn't kidding.  She thought about it—keeping silent for what felt like a long time to her.  

"Well... sure, I guess so; I mean, why not?  It'd be fun, and Brian could give me a ride to and from if I couldn't drive for some reason.  I'll try out tomorrow."

"Great; cool... I'll have Brian set us up and Jason pack up the van in the morning.  Right now, why don't we practice?  I told Jason I'd sing with his band tomorrow night at the Sky Club anyway."

"Sure... okay, now where did Moira put that damn piano music _this_ time?"

"I have no idea... let's try in the closet."  

It took them the better part of another hour to find all the music and instruments they wanted to practice with.  Then it took another half an hour to set it all up.  By the time they were done, Moira was bringing them in a tray of crackers, cheese, apple slices, and fresh tea.  Winking at them, she also set down a bowl of lemon slices and a pitcher of water.

They sang well until dinner.  Brian came and got them then, giving Sarah a hug and kiss.  Sensing his concern, Sarah let it last a bit longer than necessary.  Sighing, he released her and put an arm around Sarah's waist and another around JJ's shoulders.  JJ barely reached his chest, so it was all he could manage comfortably.  Giving a small, undetectable sigh of her own, Jubes allowed herself and Sarah to be escorted as such to the dinner table.

Dinner was a fabulously crowded and loud affair, accompanied by Moira and Adrienne's great cooking and two bottles of wonderful wine.  One bottle was a sweet dessert wine, the other a dry red wine.  There was much elbowing, laughter, and teasing all around.  Giggling like a girl half her age, Moira sipped cranberry juiced carefully mixed with ginger ale.  

"You know," she said, holding her cut-crystal glass up to the light and grinning, "We're all kinda like these wines."  Lennier, nursing the red wine, tossed back his head, laughing heartily.

"Which one, Moira doll?" he asked playfully.  The table erupted into raucous, welcoming laughter.  

"Well," said Moira, wiping her eyes, "What we do and who we are is very simple and basic.  Some of us are sweet, with nuances of peach, raspberry, and a light take on life and her quirkiness.  Like that ungodly sweet dessert wine you picked tonight, Jared."

"Can I help it if I have a sweet tooth?  I like sweetness!"

"Then how the hell did you wind up marrying _her_?" cried Jaxom from the other end of the table, brandishing a loaded fork and talking with his mouth full.  He choked when he joined in the laughter that ensued.

"Ha!  Serves you right!  You know better than to eat when people are laughing!"

"I'll (cough) keep that (cough) in mind (cough, cough, and cough).... I'll keep that in mind, Tori.  Thanks for the tip."

"Don't mention it."

"My lips are sealed."

"Wax, tape, glue, or needle and thread?"

"Heh... wait... _HUH_?!"

"You said your lips were sealed.  I assumed you used something."

"Shut up."

"You two!" Bambi rolled her eyes.

"What?" they chorused, turning to her with identical bewilderment painted on their faces.  Bambi just shook her head, and sighed, putting her head on Lennier's shoulder.  

"_ANYWAY_..." 

"Ah, yes, Moira, you were saying?"

"Thank you, Brian.  AS I WAS SAYING... and some of us are all gutsy, gun-toting, bitchy folks with way to much estrogen and flavors of whiskey, cigarettes, and rosemary.  Sweet versus dry; delicate versus sleek.  Both are classy, both have their own special punch to the situation.  But both are so different, it's hard to imagine that they could go so well together in the same meal."

"But it works."

"Right, Sarah... it works."

"Pretty damn well, I might add!"

"I'll second that, Mara," said Abigail, swirling her wine in her glass.

"I'll third that!" Gwenevere managed through a mouthful.

"Great for both of you."

"Great for us all, I'd say, Frenchman," Finnigan put in, barely glancing up from his plate.  

"Mmm," Joshua gulped, "I'll fourth your notion, Mara."

"I think we all do," Janelle added her two cents to the collection.  Her gently curling chestnut hair hung in luxurious waves around her angelic face.  She pushed away from the table, brushing off her navy blue sweater.  "I've got some things to take care of," she said, excusing herself, and maneuvered around the table and bodies to the great East dining room doors.

"I've got some things to take care of myself," said Sarah.  She wiped her mouth, and squeezed herself around the table.

"I hope it's nothing serious," Moira said with half-concern, swirling her drink around in her glass before downing it in one gulp.

"Naw," Sarah threw over her shoulder as she headed through the kitchen doors, "It's just some phone calls I have to make.  I promise I won't take too long.  I'll be done in time for a movie."

"Great!  I get to pick!"

A chorus of good-natured complaints arose from the table at CJ's comment.  The joyful noise followed Sarah into the kitchen, where she stood for a moment behind the closed doors, listening and drinking it in.  

They wound up watching 'Ever After'.  Most of the women went up to bed afterwards, but the men and Jubilee, Sarah, Tori and Abigail.  Flopped comfortably over big easy chairs, the couch, and floor, they all sat back and relaxed as Finnigan popped in 'Mimic'.  

Popcorn was passed around, and bottles of water were raised to lips that were distracted by the movie.  Once, Lennier got so preoccupied, he accidentally missed his mouth.  Abigail, who had the unfortunate luck to be sitting on the floor underneath him, got water dribbled onto her head.  She shrieked with offended dignity, and gave him a hefty smack up-side the head as she ran to the kitchen for a towel.  

When she came back in, she made a point of sitting on the other side of the room.  Jubilee and Sarah cast amused glances at her, and she glared at them.  Sharing identical looks of mischief, JJ and Sassy met each others eyes.  Grinning, they turned back to the movie, Sassy handing Tori the bowl of popcorn.

Sarah, Brian, and Jubilee carried a sleeping Lennier up to the room he shared with Bambi.  The raven-haired beauty was fast asleep under the white cotton sheets, and she turned in her sleep when they flopped her mate unceremoniously down beside her.  Jubilee shucked off Lance's socks off while Brian made quick work of pulling down the sheets for him.  He threw them over Lennier, and Sarah plucked off the necklace he wore.  The three family members grinned at each other when Bambi suddenly flung an arm over Lance's body, nearly missing Brian's nose.  They crept out and shut the door behind them.

     Brian drifted off down the hall to his own bedroom that he shared with Joshua and Jason.  Sarah and Jubilee walked with arms slung around the waist up the stairs to their floor.  Sarah gave Athena an affectionate pat on the head as they left the stairwell.  

"You'll be alright sleeping tonight?"

"Yeah, I think so.  I need the time to myself right now."

"I understand completely."

"I thought you would," Jubilee replied, looking up at her redheaded sister-friend.  Sarah looked down at her with luminous pale green eyes that looked like dripping colored diamonds.  

    "Sleep well," she said in reply, and continued down the hallway, lighting the candles in their sconces as she went.  Jubilee watched until a last glimmer of flaming red hair disappeared behind a heavy dark wooden door.  The candles in their sconces sparked off the brass handle as the door closed.  

Jubilee couldn't sleep after all.  She kept waking up, feeling like she was missing something.  'Well, I ain't doing anybody no good just lyin' around feeling' miserable!' she thought as she flung off the covers and fought a wave of dizziness.  'Ooh, haven't felt like that in a while.  Ah, I need to make a doctor's appointment.  I'll ask for some help tomor... er, today.'

Deciding to put herself to good use, she tugged an old, oversized T-shirt over her head and headed down the stairs to Vanessa and Jade's room.  She gave Joan D'Arc a smack on the butt on the way down, and grumbled something about lessons when she subsequently tripped over her own two feet.

There was a light on under Kaitlyn and Maxamillian's room, and soft murmuring from Sherry and Jaxom's.  The stairs barely sighed under Jubilee's feet as she tread barefoot.  '_Moira would KILL me if she found me wondering around at night like this_!' she thought affectionately.  The candles flickered in their sconces, casting dancing shadows on the walls.

Vanessa and Jade's room had a draft coming from underneath the door.  Jubilee knocked on the door quietly, knowing that Vanessa would either still be awake, or would jump up alert at the slightest noise.  Vanessa opened the door two seconds later, eyeing her Asian-American sister-friend blearily.  Silently, she allowed her into the room.

Jade lay death-like on the bed.  The scent of sickness hung thick in the air.  Vanessa looked decidedly like hell and high water had both taken their toll, and then some.  There were huge, dark bags under her eyes and vicious lines on her face that hadn't been there before.  Cool air blew into the room courtesy of the old AC unit in the window.  Neither of the two women spoke a word.

Vanessa lay down on her customary side of the bed.  Her dark green eyes tracked Jubilee as she made her way around the bed.  The gauzy white curtains that Moira insisted upon billowed out across the bed, momentarily misting Jubilee's path.  When they calmed, she lay down quietly on the other side of Jade's motionless body.  She could feel the heat of Jade's body through the covers.  Vanessa snaked a hand around Jade's thin waist.  Jubilee watched it for a moment, before weaving her fingers with Vanessa's.  They stayed that way all night, watching their hands; watching the soft rise and fall of Jade's chest through her soaked underclothes.  

The alarm clock read three in the morning when Jubilee felt the shift in the air in Gatewood House.  It was as if everything was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.  She felt an absence in the air around Jade.  The woman's body grew cold, like its vitality had been sucked out; the flame of the fever inside her body had died, suddenly.  Why?  What was wrong?  Vanessa stirred her hand as though to move to slap Jade's face, but had checked the movement.  Jade sighed in her sleep.

Jubilee watched the alarm clock change to four o'clock in the morning.  It was still dark outside; the birds had not yet waked up.  All was silent in Gatewood House.

Jade's chest stopped rising and falling.  She stopped breathing; the heart inside her cold body stopped beating.  Jubilee felt her passing like a knife in her heart.

There was a caress, like a chillingly soft hand, briefly on Jubilee's face at that moment of death.  Vanessa heaved a great sigh, sobbing.  Jubilee heard the thudding of several pairs of feet as Gatewood House sensed the death that had invaded the house.  

The door was flung open, spilling harsh yellow light into the room.  Jubilee huddled on the bed, next too Jade's body, willing it to be warm.

The funeral was crowded; Gatewood House took up five pews all by themselves.  The X-Men came, too; Jubilee had called them, speaking only to Rogue and Gambit.  They seemed to be the only members of her former family who cared; even the words of Professor Xavier and Beast seemed hollow and false.  Friends, considered more family than anything else, arrived from all over the world.  Jubilee was vaguely surprised to see Emma Frost, who was still not speaking to Sean Cassidy, who was also in attendance.  The former White Queen looked tired and worn out, and when she caught her former protégé's blue eye with her own, her eyes filled with tears.  Emma had nodded, and turned her attention back to staring at the coffin.  Jared, Maximilian, Brian, CJ, JC, Lennier, and Frenchman were pallbearers.  Everyone who lived at Gatewood House or had a strong connection to them wore black, a fact which did not go unnoticed by the X-Men, who looked around themselves uncertainly.  Jubilee made certain that she avoided looking at Logan; Sarah, Moira, and Tori carried a step farther, trying to ignore Xavier's team altogether.  Emma Frost apparently had the same idea in mind.

Vanessa spoke the eulogy; she had retreated silently from everyone more and more all the time.  Her speech was the first time she'd said anything since the night Jade had died.  _That was four days ago, Jubilee thought numbly, _and I have a feeling that this is it.  Something tells me we're going to lose her too, bit by bit, day by day._  Feeling her gut clench in a sickening knot, Jubilee rubbed her stomach absently.  Sarah and Tori, on either side of her, each put an arm around her shoulders and put their hands on her belly.  The knot eased, and they clasped hands tightly, relying on their mutual love to get them through the eulogy.  Then it was time for them to sing; Sarah rose first, after a pause, and gently she, Tori, and Jubilee supported each other as they walked slowly to the podium.  Tori adjusted the microphone, and Adrienne, on the organ, struck the opening chords.  As one, the three women took a deep breath._

Their voices blended in beauteous harmony as the song wrapped itself around them, creating the current for which a spirit could fly upon.  The church was still and vast, echoing the strains of the fallen angels in its gothic rafters. 

 Jade was buried in a pre-bought plot in the local Roman Catholic cemetery.  Gatewood House, the X-Men standing in the background, stood at the graveside, silent and still.  Jubilee raised her head, looking out over the green hills in the distance.  She spied Emma Frost standing at the edge of the cemetery, her modest black pantsuit standing out against the green, arms wrapped around herself, as if she hurt inside.  The wind wound itself around Jubilee's bare legs; the skirt of her black suit ended at her knees.  Sarah and Tori had her wrapped in black-fabric clad arms; Moira and Jared supported Vanessa, who looked as if she would collapse under the weight of all the black she wore.  Sarah remained the only member who didn't cry; her eyes, however, were so dark, Jubilee wondered absently if they were gray, black, or blue.  She was grateful for the distraction; for the thought that didn't require feelings to go with it.  She was aware that Logan had his eyes keenly watching her.

The reception was just as crowded as the funeral.  It was, however, a chance to breathe.  Jubilee took every chance she had to avoid the table where the X-Men were sitting, just knowing that there would be too many questions.  She was not surprised when the only members of her former family to succeed in seeking her out were Rogue and Gambit; she had thought that maybe Beast would, but he and Kitty Pryde had left right after the funeral.  She spoke to Rogue and Gambit for a long time, noticing with a surge of jealousy and happiness that they were holding hands.  They, too, however, were soon swallowed up in the crowd.  She spotted them later returning to the table designated as the "X-Men Table".  She wasn't the only one to notice that Emma Frost avoided them like the plague as well.

"Your former teacher seems intent on giving them the, eh, cold shoulder," Sarah quipped dryly, sipping a glass of wine and handing one to Jubilee, Tori in tow.  Jubilee nodded absently.

"She and Sean must have had a falling-out worse than before," Tori commented, having known about their stormy, almost-love affair from Jubilee and her various correspondences over her years at Gen-X.  

"I feel a lot of anguish coming off her," Sarah said.  The three of them looked at each other.  A silent communication; a silent agreement was exchanged.  

"I'll talk to her," Jubilee said, and she marched past the X-Men table, ignoring Logan and Sean, to talk to Emma Frost.  She could feel Xavier trying to break through the mental barriers her and Sarah had constructed.  He was not succeeding; neither would he, were he to try with all the telepathic power he possessed.      

 "Jubilee," Emma said, the formal crispness still in her voice, but the chill in it gone altogether.  She was just another world-weary woman in need an anchor in her life.  

"Emma," Jubilee acknowledged, feeling Sarah peeling back some of the layers in the mental barriers in Jubilee's head.  The manner in which she did it, though, allowed only Emma to glimpse beyond the walls; neither Xavier or Jean would have the slightest clue what was happening.  

"How are you holding up?" Emma asked in an uncharacteristic gesture, though her tone remained hard-voiced.  Jubilee could feel so many eyes watching her; Sarah's, Tori's, the X-Men's... Sean's... she took a deep breath, determined not to back down.  _Here goes, she thought, _bet you never saw this coming in a million years, Frosty_._

"Pregnant," she said in a dead voice, tired of stepping around the issue.  Emma whipped her head around, staring at Jubilee with her mouth open in a very un-Emma like manner.  If she were feeling strength enough, Jubilee would've laughed.  Sarah spoke into both of their heads, taking Jubilee by surprise:

~_She's telling the truth, Em.  Believe what she's saying... it's tough enough just to say the words, much less to have such a reaction at a time like this...  Certain eyes are watching, you know.~  That last line was said with some dry humor.  Emma's eyes darted to the X-Men's table, where Sean Cassidy and Logan were watching them with intent, wondering scowls.  She closed her mouth; regained her composure.  _

"Logan's the father?" she asked sharply, her eyes narrowing in on him in a hot glare, already knowing the answer.

"What do you think?" Jubilee deadpanned.  Emma snorted rudely, obviously hating him more than she ever had.  They shared a few moments of silence, standing with their backs to the wall, sipping their drinks and watching the crowd.  

"Looks like Vanessa is withdrawing," Emma commented after awhile, gesturing with her glass of wine to where Vanessa was sandwiched between CJ and JC.  It looked as if they were the only things keeping her from toppling over or sliding off the bench.  Her eyes were vacant and staring, her hands neatly folded in her lap.

"We could use another pair of hands around the house," Jubilee commented in the same cool tone.  Emma glanced at her.  The silence stretched on for a few minutes.

"I'll be there in two days," Emma said finally, setting her glass down.  She nodded to Sarah and Tori, and walked away.  Jubilee watched her leave.  _Hey, that's the first time I've seen Frosty not wear white_, she thought with a twinge of surprise.  

~_Doesn't surprise me; she knows the ways of Gatewood House.~  Sarah said in her head, taking Emma's place at her side.  Tori came up on the other, leaning back against the wall._

~_How does she...~_

~_We met a long time ago~ Tori said quietly, __~She had just left the __Inner Circle__, and was looking for some direction.  We gave it to her~_

Jubilee nodded, brushing offending black bangs out of her eyes.

"Let's grab Moira and Nessie, and go home."  Sarah and Tori nodded in assent, and they moved as one.  Jubilee felt the eyes of the X-Men on her back the whole way.

She felt one last fluttering attempt by Jean and Xavier to break through the mental wards, before she walked out the door holding Tori and Moira's hands. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Soooo.... how's it doing, folks?  You need to REVIEW and let me know!  And don't worry... there's more, MUCH more, on the way!!!!!!!!!!  And if anyone wants to archive this, let me know and go ahead and do it.  Just gimme credit, eh?  Thankees!   


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